It is not unusual to see dogs helping disabled people do everyday activities.

Three teachers from Cortland Elementary School, 50 W. Maple Ave., want to take it a step further and use therapy dogs to help students learn.

First grade teacher Amy Boona and third grade teacher Shelly Quade went before the Board of Education to propose a 14-week pilot program with their own dogs.

“We all are certified handlers, and each of our dogs is a certified therapy dog.” Boona said.

Physical education teacher Bill McGuire did not attend the Jan. 20 meeting.

In a phone interview, McGuire said he brought his dog in last year to get the students accustomed to having a dog present, but has not this year because the program is still being developed.

“There is no policy for what we are trying to do,” McGuire said. “So the board is cautious in approving the program without a formal policy.”

The teachers are looking around at other schools to develop a policy to present to the school board for approval, McGuire said.

Some of the concerns the board had was liability in case a student or staff member got hurt.

“As long as we use our dogs our homeowners insurance covers any sort of liability,” Boona said.

The teachers hope the dogs in the classroom will help students with reading fluency and reading skills.

“Dogs don’t ridicule or react when read to,” Boona said. “We hope this will help the student gain more confidence.”

The teachers also expect the learning to go beyond just educational, but also behavioral by using data provided by the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention Support program.

“PBIS is a disciplinary program where we show students what we expect of them instead of telling them,” Boona said.

A dog can help show the students by modeling good behavior and obedience, Boona said.

Boona said they wanted the program underway by the spring, but the need for a policy has slowed the process down. She said they expect to meet with the board again in a month.