A student was bitten by a therapy dog at Lehighton Area Elementary Center, prompting the district to suspend its therapy dog program.

Superintendent Jason Moser disclosed the incident Tuesday night during the board’s workshop meeting. Both dogs have been pulled from district buildings.

“We have gathered as much information to this point from the individuals in the room,” Moser said. “We are in the process of thinking about this from as many different perspectives as possible.”

Moser said Board Policy 151, which governs the program, was followed. He said the pause was not a judgment on the program’s value but a step to let the board weigh in before anything is decided.

“Anytime you have an event where a student is injured, or could have potentially been injured in a far worse manner, I think it’s important that as a district we really think about this,” he said. “We cautiously proceed — whether that is with the same practice, whether that is altering the practice to mitigate risk, whether that is making a decision to not have it.”

Christina Haupt, a district educator, parent and co-owner and primary handler of Angelo, one of the two therapy dogs, spent most of her public comment urging the board to revise the policy rather than end the program. She compared the risk to activities the district has never considered suspending.

“A tackle on the field that ends in a concussion, a fall from the monkey bars that ends in a broken arm, a tragic bus accident on a field trip — all very risky,” Haupt said. “But I’ve never seen these activities indefinitely thrown out should a student be injured.”

Haupt said she spent hours reviewing therapy dog policies at other Pennsylvania school districts and gave board members a list of possible revisions. She noted parents can already place their children on a no-contact list. She also pointed out that the program’s absence is being felt.

“I had students ask me where he was and wonder why he wasn’t there for morning reading,” she said. “He’s not just a dog. He’s become a fixture.”

A second speaker, parent Nicole Collier, described how Angelo helped her daughter, now an eighth grader, after a traumatic family event three years ago. On difficult days, she said, her daughter was allowed to eat lunch with the dog or meet him in the office.

“Important adults in her life let her down in a large way. Angelo never did,” Collier said. “He never made her talk. He never asked her about her feelings. And most days that’s all she wanted and, more importantly, needed.”

Collier told the board a therapy dog like Angelo costs roughly $20,000 — a sum her family could not afford on its own.

Board member Joy Beers asked what records the district keeps on the program’s results.

“We’ve heard nice stories about what the dogs have done, but what is the documentation that the district has on file regarding the successes of the program?” Beers said.

Board President Dr. Alex Matika said the most published benefit is on reducing stress and anxiety in the classroom — especially in classrooms that require high levels of emotional support.

Moser said he will bring the board information on the specific training required of the therapy dogs and of their handlers under Policy 151.

Board member David Bradley questioned whether the district should operate the program at all, arguing Lehighton should concentrate on academic performance first.

“Shouldn’t we focus on reading, writing and arithmetic first before we add additional responsibilities to our classrooms?” Bradley said. “The risk should have been zero. If you’re going to enter a government-run school, your risk of injury and harm should be zero or near zero.”

Board member Denise Hartley pushed back.

“We also provide other services so that our students can succeed, such as free lunches, free breakfasts and after-school services,” Hartley said. “If the students don’t come to school in the right frame of mind, meaning they have a full stomach and are emotionally ready to learn, we could provide them the best curriculum and we aren’t going to get them to learn diddly squat. We have to look at the whole student, not just three words.”

Moser noted the district is required to file a comprehensive student services plan with the Pennsylvania Department of Education every three years.

“We provide student services beyond strictly instruction in reading, writing, math and science,” he said. “That is actually not up for debate.”

Collier, given a final chance to speak, addressed Bradley directly.

“What good is a smart child if they’re a dead child, or if they’re committing suicide?” she said. “If their mental health isn’t there, the grades don’t matter.”