- Video shows Derek Dobies, Vice President of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Education, explaining why he thinks therapy dogs will benefit students' mental health and well-being.
- Mary Dillon, Administrative Assistant and future JPS parent, believes that therapy dogs will benefit students and staff.
- Dobies hopes to see, with the passing of this proposal, 10 dogs come to the different buildings at JPS.
It all started with the daughter of Jackson Public Schools Board of Education Vice President Derek Dobies asking to bring her dog to school. She sat down and spoke with her principal about the idea, and her principal encouraged her to look into therapy dogs. To Dobies, the idea didn't seem too far-fetched. "Every time you see a dog walking down the hallway, or a classroom, you just have a natural inclination to be happier," says Dobies. From there came a proposal and visits to other school districts to see how therapy dogs have benefited them.
"I think that, because therapy dogs are helping with building emotional stability, helping with mental health, that it naturally has an effect on academic performance as well," explains Dobies. He says he'd like to see a dog designated to each JPS building, about 10 dogs total. Dobies explains, "That allows the students to develop relationships with that animal, to know that animal, (and) build that level of trust, because it's therapeutic."
Administrative Assistant, Mary Dillon, is also a future JPS parent. She says her daughter would love to have a dog at school and feels that a dog would greatly benefit the kids. She says, "There would be a level of excitement about coming to school, even if we could use that as an attendance incentive to get the kids to the building and in the classroom." Dillon says the effort could help staff as well. "I think it's beneficial for, just, overall emotional, mental well-being."
The next steps would be to get the policy passed, which Dobies hopes could happen this month.
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