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Board approves therapy dog handbook; trustees cite positive feedback from schools
Summary
The district's therapy dog program handbook was approved; trustees described dogs greeting students at Emerson, integration at the middle school, and training for two high school dogs.
The Indianola Community School District Board of Education unanimously approved a therapy dog program handbook that formalizes building-level guidelines and explains how the program will operate across schools.
Trustees described site examples during the discussion: Sadie, an elementary site dog at Emerson, greets students in the office each morning and has been used to help students enter school on time; staff reported positive comments from the community. At the middle school, one therapy dog operates under counseling services and another is handled by a staff member who works with students in small groups. At the high school, a staff member is training two dogs and the animals rotate into school to acclimate to students.
The handbook accompanies policy 105 and is intended to provide a formal reference on permissible interactions, building-level procedures and how families and students are instructed to interact with the animals. The motion to approve the handbook carried 7-0.
