East Penn students could see some new, furry faces in the classroom next year.
The district is planning to introduce a therapy dog program for this upcoming academic year to give students social and emotional support.
At a recent school board meeting, Mike Mihalik, supervisor of secondary curriculum for East Penn, said research shows therapy dogs increased engagement, improved socialization and reduced loneliness in adolescents.
“The research has proven that the dogs definitely help in schools when it comes to that social emotional and mental health,” Mihalik said. “This is one of those rare projects that really does have a positive impact, K through 12, not just one building. We’re talking thousands of kids potentially having this great opportunity in the future.”
East Penn officials have been working with a Lancaster-based company called Dog Sense, which provides training to pick the right dogs for the program. Mihalik said he started looking into the program about a year and a half ago but plans were paused because of the pandemic.
The district is planning for three dogs; one for the elementary schools, one for the middle and high schools, and one for high school students who need emotional support. Certain staff members will be trained and serve as the caretakers who take the dogs home at the end of the day.
East Penn currently doesn’t have a figure for how much the program will cost because it depends on what type of dogs are chosen and how old the dogs are. Expenses will include purchasing the dogs, pet insurance, training them, and basic supplies such as food and grooming. But at a recent board meeting, Superintendent Kristen Campbell said the district has financial support from the East Penn School District Education Foundation for the initial startup.
East Penn will model its program after the Warwick School District in Lancaster County. Warwick started its program in 2019 after two high school students died in a car accident in front of the school the previous school year; another student was severely injured in the crash. Six weeks after the car crash, another student took their own life.
Warwick brought dogs in to help grieving students. Currently, the district has six dogs, all different breeds and sizes, that work with students.
Vortex, better known as “Tex,” is one of the therapy dogs at Warwick. Tex, a full-sized poodle, spends time at Lititz Elementary, Warwick Superintendent April Hershey said. Tex usually spends his day in an office with the school guidance counselor, psychologist and learning facilitator. A child may read to Tex or Tex may cuddle with a child who needs a hug. Tex also visits classrooms throughout his day and even poses for yearbook photos.
Once, when a student didn’t want to come to school, school officials took Tex to the boy’s house. The boy agreed to go to school as long as Tex was coming, too, Hershey said.
Carly, a Lagotto Romagnolo breed, is another dog that helped a Warwick student who was a selective mute. After several sessions with the dog, the child would speak to Carly, even though he was still silent with adults. This allowed school officials to hear what the child had to say and understand him.
East Penn officials will know when the program will start once they decide on which dogs to pick. The potential dog choices vary in their level of training so while some are ready to start almost immediately, others would need six to seven months until they can be placed at a school.
Hershey said initially there were parents who were worried about allergies and some students who were afraid of dogs. That’s why the district labeled classrooms as either dog friendly or pet-free.
All schools in East Penn will have zones that will not be open to the dogs, such as the cafeteria.
Mihalik said when the district recently had some dogs in at the high school to tour, there was a positive buzz from students.
“When one student came in, he saw the three dogs in the room and … he immediately said, ‘This is the best day ever,'” Mihalik said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Mollee Griffith, an emotional support teacher at Emmaus High and likely one of the dog handlers, said she thinks the program could help some students.
“It gets students to just open up and be kids,” Griffith said. “I think there’s so many serious things that teenagers are going through right now, and having something where they’re just able to be happy about, I think it’s great.”
Morning Call reporter Clare Fonstein can be reached at cfonstein@mcall.com
