At Monday’s Knoxville School Board meeting, a new board policy was approved to allow the use of therapy dogs in school buildings. Superintendent Cassi Pearson says that a school counselor owns a dog that will be used for student therapy, and is looking forward to getting the program started.

“Tracy Lee is our school counselor at Northstar Elementary. She has a dog named Theo that is a miniature goldendoodle. Goldendoodles are a breed of dog that is hypoallergenic, sweet-natured, and great for therapy. Tracy and the dog are going through some training, he’s already passed his first test and getting ready for his second one. A lot of research has shown that animals have a calming effect, especially for people that have been through trauma, or who have anxiety or are highly stressed. We’re really looking forward to opening this avenue of therapy to our students and seeing how it goes.”

Once the dog has been fully trained, it will mainly be used at Northstar, but will also make appearances at other district buildings. More information about this program and other topics discussed at Monday’s school board meeting can be heard on today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville.