Any Virginia public school student will be able to opt out of animal dissection activities without penalties for the first time this fall.
A new General Assembly law that went into effect in July requires all local school districts to provide students with alternatives to dissection and notify students and parents of the options.
The bill was co-sponsored in the House of Delegates by Del. Kristen Admundson, D-Fairfax County, James H. Dillard II, R-Fairfax County, and Robert D. Hall, R-Fairfax County.
Admundson said the new law gives students a needed alternative.
"Some students have asked that they be given an alternative and I think we have a growing respect for the fact that students in high school have often made clear and well thought out moral decisions," Admunson said. "Certainly we have more students who are vegetarians and who have religious objections to dissection. I think as a public school system we have to honor that."
Admunson added that the bill has no effect on Virginia's public colleges and universities, where students have great latitude when selecting classes.
"In high school, very often, there is only one class," she said. "If you're in 10th grade and on the college-bound track you're going to have to take biology."
Admunson also added that Virginia's Department of Planning and Budget noted that costs of the new law will be minimal on local school systems.
Support for such legislation is spearheaded by animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA's children's Web site, petakids.com, encourages students to openly object to dissections.
"Dissection is an antiquated method of instruction and there are many forms of curriculum that keep up with the pace of technology and current educational theories," PETA Education Policy Specialist Jacqueline Domac said.
Domac added that some computer-simulated models are more consistent than actual dissection.
"Study after study shows that students who opt out of dissection retain information as well or better as their dissecting counterparts," she said.
However, Rebecca E. Roth, president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers, said there is documentation to support the contrary.
While applauding the advances in simulated dissection alternatives, Roth said studies published in "American Biology Teacher" magazine state that students learn best through actual dissection.
"I do think they learn best through the hands-on experience," Roth said.
Roth emphasized the importance of participating in dissection activities and overcoming "squeamish" feelings for students entering medical or biological fields in college.
Virginia became the seventh state to pass a law making dissection optional in public schools. Florida was the first state to pass dissection-option legislation in 1985.
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