Substitute dissection with cruelty-free alternatives or allow students the right to choose whether to dissect without being penalized.
We, the undersigned, support students of Woodrow Wilson Senior High School in their plea to replace dissection with cruelty-free alternatives or allow students to choose not to dissect without being penalized in any manner /the full text of the original petition can be read at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Wilson_CARE/files/.
Today, there are plenty of cheaper, more hygienic and more humane alternatives to dissection available. Switching to these new methods and abandoning dissection will allow the students to focus more on the scientific subject matter at hand, and will also save Woodrow Wilson Senior High School money.
If, however, dissection cannot be fully eliminated, we ask that the following policy be strictly enforced in all classes that use animals:
- Students may not be penalized in any manner for requesting an alternative.
- The instructor must verbally inform all students of their right to do an alternative at the beginning of each semester or advisory.
- The instructor, not the student, should be responsible for proposing an alternative.
- The alternative assignment should require the same amount of time and effort as the dissection exercise, and should be limited to the same material.
- Alternatives are not to include watching another student dissect or dropping the class.
- An alternative testing procedure must be provided when the testing procedure uses dissected specimens.
This policy should be included in existing curriculum guidelines, in the student
Handbook and on Woodrow Wilsons website.
We fully support Woodrow Wilson SHS students in their appeal to provide alternatives to dissection, and ask that the signatures of Woodrow Wilson SHS students, faculty and administrators, as well as their supporters outside of the school, be given full consideration.
