New England Anti-vivisection Society (NEAVS)

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Holliston High School Science Teacher Wins Award for Her School

(Boston, MA) April 28, 2003 - Senator Pamela Resor, Representative Louis Kafka and the Ethical Science and Education Coalition (ESEC) announce a Day on the Hill for students, educators and legislators on Thursday, May 1, at the State House (Nurses Hall). This Open House begins at 11 a.m. and continues through the afternoon. Light food will be served from 11:30-1:00. Coffee and snacks will be served throughout the day.

A highlight of the day will be the awarding of a site license for the "virtual reality" alternative to specimen dissection, Digital Frog 2, to Ellen Graham, a science teacher from Holliston High School. Graham was the winner of an ESEC/Digital Frog drawing that was held at the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers Conference. The site license, valued at $899, gives the entire school license to use this popular and hi-tech dissection alternative at UNLIMITED computers within their network. Further, the license allows the school to make up to 20 additional copies of the program for teacher/student home use.

Students, parents, teachers and the public are invited to attend the day's events, hosted by Senator Pamela Resor (D-Acton) and Representative Louis Kafka (D-Sharon), in cooperation with ESEC. Representative Kafka is the lead sponsor and Senator Resor is a co-sponsor of the Dissection Choice bill, H.1252, which would "permit those students who choose not to participate in dissection to be allowed to demonstrate competency through an alternative method." This legislation will go a long way in showing respect for students' ethical and moral beliefs while guaranteeing them a sound and comparable educational experience consistent with those beliefs. Six other states already have similar legislation.

Senator Resor and Representative Kafka will be available for interviews, as will other key legislators, legislative aides, teachers, students, and members of ESEC.

The day will showcase dissection alternatives, the latest tools in humane education: Froguts, Dissection Works, Drylab Plus Series, Digital Frog 2, Anatomy Revealed, and Neotek's Catlab and Froglab.

ESEC supports protecting a student's right to choose dissection alternatives for ethical, moral, and religious reasons. In addition, the humane, economic and environmental advantages of alternatives make them especially appealing during this time of educational budget cuts and environmental hazards.

*A recent Tufts University study shows a strong majority (64%) of MA life science teachers support or strongly support dissection choice legislation.

*Studies show that students using alternatives performed as well, if not better, than those using specimens;

*Computer programs are reusable and, therefore, more economical than traditional animal specimens;

*Alternatives do not contribute to environmental waste, animal suffering or the depletion of animals from their natural habitats.

*Alternatives include realistic computer dissection models, which are humane and readily available (often free) interactive learning tools.

Says Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D, President of ESEC, "Protecting the right of students to choose humane alternatives to specimen dissection is one way to show respect for values based in compassion and it has never been so important to do so. These high-tech, engaging, fun, and sophisticated 'alternatives' are on the frontline of science education and help provide answers to some of today's most pressing humane, budgetary and environmental concerns. Most important, the guaranteed right to choose a humane dissection alternative will keep and encourage bright, caring students in science."

The Day on the Hill will provide a forum for dialogue among legislators, educators, and students, who will be able not only to SEE dissection alternatives in action but will also be able to try them out!

Says Capaldo, "Students, parents and teachers are constantly contacting ESEC for advice. We are participating in this Day on the Hill to provide them with an opportunity to meet humane educators and legislators face to face, so they may better understand students' rights and options and be a part of ongoing efforts for this needed law."

Adds Capaldo, "Our message is this: Dissection choice legislation protects students. It saves the lives of animals who suffer for science classes; saves money; protects the environment; and keeps compassionate students in science. It's one of those rare situations in which everybody wins. It just doesn't get any better than that."

For copies of H.1252 or more information or to arrange for an interview/article, contact the ESEC office at (617) 523-6020 Ext. 27 or esec@neavs.org , www.neavs.org/esec.