Lake County Gazette

Diamond Lake School District 76 has introduced a new facility dog, Super Cooper, as part of its ongoing efforts to support the emotional well-being of students, staff, and families. The announcement was made at the recent Board of Education meeting.

The addition of Super Cooper is the result of the district’s partnership with Canines4Comfort. According to district officials, Diamond Lake School District 76 was given priority for this opportunity due to its previous work and impact in integrating facility dogs into schools. “We’re excited to welcome another district facility dog to support the emotional well-being of our students, staff, and families. D76 was specially prioritized for this opportunity, recognizing our ongoing work and impact. We’re proud to continue serving as a model district for facility dog integration in schools,” a statement from the district said.

Diamond Lake School District 76 serves Lake County and includes Fairhaven School, West Oak Intermediate School, and West Oak Middle School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The school district employs 92 teachers who earn an average salary of $63,832 before pension contributions; about 91 percent are women while roughly 9 percent are men. None of the teachers had more than ten absences during a school year (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

Demographically, the student body consists of approximately 20 percent White students, nearly 3 percent Black students, over two-thirds Hispanic students, and about 5 percent Asian students (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In terms of finances, Diamond Lake School District 76 spent $27,115 per student in 2020 for a total expenditure of nearly $24.9 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

The introduction of Super Cooper continues the district’s focus on social-emotional learning initiatives.