Voice Your Concerns!
How to Advocate for Animals in Education
Are you interested in advocating for animals used in education but are unsure where to start? Visiting this page is the perfect first step to help become an ally for animals in science education.
There is no task that is too small when it comes to advocating for animals. Whether you are a student, parent/guardian, educator, or general member of the community, Animalearn is here to help and provide guidance.
Communicate your Concerns
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Voice your objections to animal use to the teacher and request an alternative to the activity or lab where animals are being used.
Check out our Interactive Student Choice Map to see if you live in a state that has student choice legislation. If so, you can provide your teacher with a copy of that law or policy.
Offer a solution. Make your teacher aware of The Science Bank Animalearn’s FREE lending library of humane non-animal materials and resources.
If your teacher pushes back with your request, initiate a meeting with a school administrator to advise them of your opposition to harmful animal use. If you are a K-12 student, a parent or guardian can also request a meeting with both teachers and/or administrators to provide further support. Utilize our Sharable Advocacy Resources.
If you still find unwillingness to address your concerns, it may be necessary to take your concerns to the school superintendent and the school board for the district, or dean and president if you are at a college/university.
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Educators should investigate where their state/district/school stands on animal use in the classroom. Learn about student choice legislation by visiting our Interactive Student Choice Map.
Discuss your stance against live or dead animal use in the curriculum with the principal/ administration. Make them aware of any statewide student choice legislation as well as the solutions that can be used in place of animal labs.
Be sure to utilize Animalearn’s Sharable Advocacy Resources.
If administration is unsympathetic, address with the superintendent and the school board for the district, or dean and president if you teach at a college/university.
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Talk to your child about an upcoming planned activity involving animals to find out if they plan to speak to the teacher on their own, or if they appear to be a silent objector. Reach out to the teacher to discuss your or your child's stance against participating in this activity, including possible observation of any harmful animal lab, which is not an alternative and can be just as distressing to a child.
If you live in a state that offers a law or policy allowing students to opt out of dissection, make sure to let your child’s teacher know about that legislation. Visit our Interactive Student Choice Map to see where your state stands on dissection!
Offer a solution! Make your child’s teacher aware of the many viable humane alternatives from The Science Bank, Animalearn’s FREE lending library of humane non-animal materials and resources.
Be a pro parent advocate and utilize Animalearn’s Sharable Advocacy Resources to help with any teacher/school administrator discussions.
If the teacher remains unsympathetic, request a meeting with a school administrator to advise them of your or your child’s opposition to animal use.
If you still find unwillingness, continue to the superintendent and the school board for the district.
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Check to see if you live in a state that offers student choice legislation by visiting our Interactive Student Choice Map. If so, let the local schools in your community know about them! Send an email and share the law/policy. Or you could share the news by writing an opinion piece in your local community news outlet. If not, let the community know about the many humane alternatives that can be used in place of dissection.
Local school board meetings are open to all members of the community that live within that district, not just those with school-age children. Attend local school board meetings to address a student choice policy, or lack thereof, within the district. This will allow you to address the superintendent and the school board together.
Advise the members of the local school board of any student choice laws or policies in place. Also make them aware of The Science Bank, Animalearn’s FREE lending library of humane non-animal materials and online resources.
Be sure to utilize Animalearn’s Sharable Advocacy Resources for helpful talking points.
Secure a Support Network
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Students can start an animal rights group in K-12 and college/university. This is a good way to gain allies and meet like-minded individuals who may have otherwise remained silent objectors to live or dead animal labs.
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Educators can support individual students or student animal protection groups that object to harmful animal use in the classroom by providing non-animal methods. Educators can also connect with their own professional networks to find other like-minded science educators.
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Start an in-person or online community group to encourage other parents/guardians to assist their children with speaking out against the use of animals in education.
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Start an in-person or online community group to encourage other members of the community to speak out and perhaps enact a local school district-wide policy offering support for students who are opposed to the use of animals in education.
Build Your Case
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Start an in-person or online petition open to all students in the school and present it to your school administration, or even to your district’s school board, to enact a student choice or opt-out policy.
Voice your concerns at local school board meetings to make more people aware of the issue, and you may find sympathetic administrators.
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Put together a humane science curriculum plan or recommend non-animal resources to be used in place of animal labs, which can be helpful for the school to implement.
Contact Animalearn for suggested activities and resources to incorporate into your animal-friendly lesson plans!
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Start an online petition open to all students and parents of students in the school or district and present it to your school administration, or even to your district’s school board, to enact a student choice or opt-out policy.
Relay your concerns about animal use at local school board meetings to make more people aware of the issue. If there is no dissection choice policy in place, this would be a great place to suggest that one is put in place.
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Start an online petition open to community members in the school district and present it to your district’s school board, to enact a student choice or opt-out policy.
Look into how you can better inform your community about the issue of animals used in education. One idea is to connect with your local library to see if they would be open to showcasing a display highlighting non-animal resources and recommended readings on the topic. Contact Animalearn for suggestions.
Initiate Laws/Policies in your State
Everyone
Regardless of your position in the community, you are a constituent in a local politician’s district or ward. Your voice and objections to live or dead animal labs matter! You may contact a local politician to urge them to enact a student choice policy for your school district or state. The best course of action is to find a local politician who already has an established record of voting in favor of animal protection issues. They will likely be more sympathetic to your plight and respond in a positive manner. Once the contact has been established, if the politician is receptive to moving forward with student choice legislation, feel free to share this pdf for model law language. This can help to move the process along faster, as they will not have to draft legislation from scratch. You may also advise them that 23 states and Washington, D.C., already have student choice laws or policies. Direct them to our Interactive Student Choice map so they may find all of the laws and policies in one place.