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Central Crossing SRO’s service dog approved for school and community use; council praises program
Summary
Officer Shaw, the school resource officer at Central Crossing, introduced his service dog Bo and described a program for calming students and community visits. Council and the mayor praised the effort; schools have allowed the dog on site and the officer said Bo will also participate in community programming.
Officer Shaw, a school resource officer at Central Crossing High School, introduced Bo, his service dog, at the Jan. 20 council meeting and described an SRO program that uses the dog to help calm students, support classroom behavior and participate in reading programs and nursing-home visits.
Shaw said he has been an SRO for seven years and that the school system has allowed Bo to be on-site for school activities and that Bo will also appear at community events when not assigned to school duty. Shaw and other speakers cited studies and local experience that therapy and service dogs can calm students quickly — in minutes rather than the 45–60 minutes it can take to de-escalate a crisis without a dog — and help students return to class sooner.
Shaw described other community activities Bo will support, including a “Books and Bo” reading program, nursing-home visits and support for police dispatchers and staff. Council members and the mayor praised the innovation and thanked Shaw for his work securing school permission to bring the dog into Central Crossing. At one point, a council member asked the breed; Shaw identified Bo as a Great Pyrenees.
No formal council action was required; council acknowledged the program and congratulated Shaw and the school for the partnership that permits the service dog’s use in schools and the community.
