Student Takes a Slice out of School Board's Dissection Requirement
More than two years ago, when she was just a sixth grader, Laurie Wolff was asked to dissect an earthworm as part of her science class. Laurie felt uncomfortable with the task and asked her teacher if she could sit this one out. There was only one problem: Her school district required her to participate.
As a result, the normally straight-A student received a C in the class. Realizing that only more Cs loomed ahead as she made her way through secondary science classes, Laurie decided, at the urging of her grandmother, to take a stand against the Clark County, Nevada school board's policy on dissection.
 Las Vegas Sun |
This past academic year, as an eighth grader at Garrett Middle School in Boulder City, Laurie asked her classmates to sign a petition, which she then presented to the school board at a December 2001 meeting. She asked the school district—the sixth largest in the nation with 266 schools in the Las Vegas area—to provide students with an option to dissection.
Four months later, after reviewing Laurie's request and exploring alternatives to animal dissection, the Clark County school board drafted the student choice amendment, which would provide students with an alternative assignment if they held ethical or moral views against dissection. At the urging of The Humane Society of the United States and other animal-protection organizations, the board voted unanimously for the amendment at its April 11, 2002 meeting.
"The Clark County school board members' response was such a positive development, showing that they took the students' ethical concerns seriously while providing a model for other school districts to deal with the issue of student choice," says Lesley King, program officer for education at The HSUS. "As someone who is concerned for quality education as well as the welfare of animals, I want to congratulate the school board on its unanimous vote for student choice."
Because of Laurie's stand and the board's decision, the 244,000-plus students in the Clark County school district now have another option, which is important, experts say, as many children find animal dissection troubling but don't feel comfortable voicing their concerns. Speaking up, fortunately, was not a problem for Laurie.
"You don't learn anything about an animal by cutting it up," Laurie told the Las Vegas Sun after the April school board meeting. "It's a waste when there are so many other ways to learn about science without having to kill something first."
The Clark County school district joins a growing list of schools, universities, states and even countries that no longer require animal dissection—and even prohibit it in some instances. Countries such as Argentina, Norway and Switzerland prohibit dissection below the university level. In the United States, California, New York, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania protect the rights of students who oppose dissection, while school districts such as those in Chicago, Austin, Texas, and Columbus, Ohio, provide students with alternatives, if the students so desire.
Still, despite this display of enlightenment, an estimated six million cats, dogs, frogs and other animals are killed each year for dissections. Many frogs are believed to come from the wild, hurting not only the animals used for dissection but also depleting frog populations. That's why organizations like The HSUS know their work is far from over. The HSUS, for instance, plans to work with the Clark County school board to give teachers a chance to try the latest biology-teaching software, a low-cost and efficient alternative to dissection.
"Our work aims to ensure that a high-quality education does not inadvertently harm animals," says The HSUS's King. "Simple changes, such as the adoption of student choice policies that respect students' ethical and religious beliefs about using animals in biology education, can make a world of difference for both the children being educated and the animals."
Given recent evidence about the efficiency of alternative methods, not to mention their cost-effectiveness, it's becoming increasingly difficult for school districts to balk at providing students with options to dissection. In fact, The HSUS recently compiled a list of 29 studies that compared alternative methods against dissections and other animals uses. In 28 of those studies, researchers found that students using alternatives such as computer simulations performed as well or better as students who conducted traditional dissections.
What's more, the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), based in Washington, D.C., notes that alternatives are cheaper than animal dissections in the long run. "A school with five biology classes, for example, will spend about $1,300 to buy 35 bullfrogs per class per year," writes PCRM founder Dr. Neal D. Barnard and health writer Karen M. Pirozzi. "By contrast, the 'Digital Bullfrog' CD-ROM requires a one-time outlay of just $200."
These alternatives can even be obtained for less, as in free. The HSUS runs the Humane Education Loan Program (HELP), a free service that lends CD-ROMs, videos, models, and charts to students and teachers who are interested in alternatives to dissection. The HSUS also offers free advice from trained biological scientists to help schools implement an alternative program, and we have the Student Choice in Biology Education: A Policy Guide to assist school districts in writing student choice policies. For more information about HELP or our other services, contact us at ari@hsus.org or at 301-258-3041.