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Board approves therapy‑dog handler MOU for Arrow program
Summary
The Hamilton City School District board approved a memorandum of understanding that will define responsibilities and insurance requirements for staff who serve as handlers for the district’s therapy‑dog program, and voted to place proof of liability insurance on file with the treasurer’s office.
The Hamilton City School District board voted to approve a memorandum of understanding for the district’s therapy‑dog program, clearing the administrative steps for staff who serve as handlers and requiring proof of liability insurance to be kept on file in the treasurer’s office.
Board members approved the MOU by roll call vote during the board’s work meeting. The motion passed unanimously with Miss Matthews, Mister Sprague, Missus Baker, Mister Davidson and Doctor Copas voting yes.
The MOU is intended to be a standard agreement that each employee who becomes a handler will sign. “These dogs become theirs. They are 24 hours a day belonging to our owners, and that's a big sacrifice,” Superintendent Andrea Blevins said while describing the document the board reviewed. Blevins said the signed agreement and proof of insurance will be maintained in the treasurer’s office.
School officials also described Arrow, the district’s first therapy dog, as part of a larger program being rolled out with community partners. “Through community donations, through different agencies, we've been able to raise the money completely so that not 1 district dollar is being used for this,” Blevins said, describing how the initial funding for Arrow was secured. Board members and staff said the district’s goal is to expand the program, onboarding four to five therapy dogs per year so that eventually each building could have one.
The MOU vote followed a short presentation and a motion to accept the item. No amendments were proposed on the floor.
What the board approved: the blank handler MOU to be signed by approved owners/handlers and placement of insurance documentation in the Treasurer’s Office; formal contract language and individual signatures will be added as staff and approved handlers are identified.
School officials said the therapy‑dog program will be supported by community donations and partner organizations; the board did not allocate district operating funds for the initial dog. The board’s action was procedural (adopting the agreement template and recordkeeping requirement) rather than a funding appropriation.
The MOU passed by roll call. The board then continued with the meeting’s other agenda items.
