With the new school year just beginning, a new face will be seen around North Royalton schools.
Luna, a six-month-old Golden Doodle will be making her debut, with the beginning of the K-9 Therapy Dog Program.
North Royalton Police Department School Resource Officer (SRO), Alexandra Jezior, recently introduced City Council to the newest member of the North Royalton Police Department, Luna, the new K-9 Support dog. The dog is Jezior’s constant companion. She will not only be making her debut at the schools, but may be seen at various events that take place in North Royalton.
“Therapy dogs, also known as comfort dogs, act to support a person’s mental health and emotional well-being. According to various sources and studies, therapy dogs can improve mental health in those who suffer with a variety of mental health and behavioral issues, such as depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD, and PTSD.” North Royalton Student Resource Officer, Jon Karl, noted that Therapy Dogs “are a big help to de-escalate things quickly, especially when you are dealing with kids. So we go from a high tension, high stress situation, down to baseline. It’s not 100 percent, but it is very high.” Historically, therapy dogs have been used by the medical community for therapeutic patients. Recently, however, the practice has been expanded into school districts. Brunswick and Brecksville-Broadview Heights School Districts have been utilizing such a program.
In her role as an SRO, Jezior stated that she has encountered numerous children who are suffering from significant mental health issues. “There are children in the schools who have been victims of crime (domestic abuse, sexual assault, neglect, etc.) and are thus struggling mentally, emotionally, physically, and academically. Many students have been diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety. Some are emotionally disturbed or have other diagnoses,” she said. Jezior said she asserts that the implementation of this program may bring about some improvement to the overall mental health of students, such as those having panic attacks and emotional outbursts, potentially reducing the times that students become hostile with staff, causing them to be restrained. “ By reducing those instances, we would be increasing overall student and staff safety,” said Jezior. “Also, there have been numerous occasions where students have been in such an emotional state to where they could not return to class. The hope is that the K9 could provide more comfort and support that will allow the student to calm down faster, respond more quickly, and be able to resume the school day in a significantly better emotional state.”
Earlier this year, the North Royalton City Schools and the City of North Royalton have entered into a memorandum of understanding, accepting an addendum regarding the School Resource Officers, permitting the use of a therapy dog. The North Royalton City Council unanimously adopted legislation at its June 6 meeting that authorizes the Mayor to enter into the agreement. That agreement was forged after a presentation on the program was given to City Council in February by Jezior. She then requested to start the K9 Therapy Program through the City’s Police Department and the North Royalton Schools.
Jezior said the program will be utilized primarily at the North Royalton City Schools, St. Albert the Great School and Royal Redeemer School. It could also be used to aid the victims of crime and for community engagement.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer