New Bill Could Put More Therapy Dogs In NJ Classrooms

A new bill could change the part therapy dogs have to play in New Jersey classrooms.

Bill S3453, introduced by Senator Anthony Bucco, establishes a pilot program in the Department of Education (DOE) to use therapy dogs in public elementary school wellness programs.

Essentially, the study-and-standardization bill would launch a three-year pilot program across six New Jersey school districts.

Under the bill, the Commissioner of Education would select two districts from North Jersey, two districts from Central Jersey, and two districts from South Jersey that applied to be in the pilot program. The districts would ideally be spread across urban, suburban, and rural areas.

These school districts would be assigned a therapy dog to take part in the districts’ wellness programs. The commissioner would then assess how/if the dogs impacted student well-being, student health outcomes, academic performance, and participation in school wellness programs.

Additionally, the DOE would provide the districts guidance on topics including insurance and liability, and training with regard to therapy dogs in the classroom.

"Research suggests that interacting with therapy dogs can help relieve symptoms of stress and anxiety that often impact students’ mental health throughout the school year," said Bucco in a statement. "This bill would establish a pilot program to assess the academic and health benefits associated with integrating therapy dogs into public elementary school wellness programs. By bringing therapy dogs into more educational settings, we can reduce stress and support students who face various academic challenges.”

While several New Jersey school districts already implement therapy dogs, or something similar, in their wellness programs, the pilot program would provide statewide data and create a record for future policy decisions.

After the three-year program ends, officials would analyze academic outcomes and student health and wellness outcomes to determine if further legislation, like providing therapy dogs to all public school districts, would be beneficial.

The bill has been unanimously passed in the Senate and is currently being considered by the Assembly Education Committee.