Three of the Washington Community School District’s buildings will now have a therapy dog, following action made by the school board last week.

NESTT, or Navigating Emotions and Stress Through Teaching, Center Director Nicole Gish gave a presentation requesting that they purchase a full-time therapy dog for the middle school, as they already have dogs Coral at Lincoln Elementary and Holly at the high school. Gish shared that anxiety is at an “all-time high,” for students and she shared how having a dog would improve their social and emotional well being as well as their academic performance, “This year there’s been at least a dozen times we’ve had Coral over at the middle school helping with various situations. And I can think of every single time a student might be very emotional for an extended amount of time. We get an adult to bring Coral over and every single time within 10 minutes the student has calmed down.”

The board approved an agreement with Gray Canine, LLC. based in Washington at $4,000 which will include the dog, boarding and training, and $75 for each additional training. Gish would be the handler for the dog which should arrive at the school by this fall.