Amends TCA Title 49.

This bill requires the department of education ("department") to establish a one-year pilot program to place a therapy dog in five public schools in the 2024-2025 school year. The department must select at least one public school from each grand division of this state to participate in the pilot program and must strive to select public charter schools and public schools from a variety of LEAs that serve students in a variety of grade levels. Each school selected to participate must receive a therapy dog. This bill requires the department to establish the requirements for each public school and therapy dog provider participating in the pilot program, including requirements for the public schools selected to participate in the pilot program to collect and report data regarding the public school's experience with the provided therapy dog. This bill requires the department to submit a report to the general assembly no later than July 1, 2025, providing the results and outcomes of the pilot program and to recommend whether the general assembly should extend the pilot program. ON APRIL 15, 2024, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 1867, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 prohibits the department of education from selecting a public school to participate in the pilot program if the public school does not agree to participate; and establishes that each public school selected to participate in the pilot program must receive a therapy dog.