Dear Sir/Madam:

Miami-Dade public high schools have a chance to teach kids empathy and better science — while serving as an exemplary model for schools nationwide. Florida residents, and beyond, urge you to modernize classroom science with humane and affordable non-animal tools.

Currently, some 13 Miami-Dade high schools dissect cats. Each cat costs $32 to $82 for one-time usage. Dead cats often originate in shelters that gas animals. Death by gassing is illegal in Florida.

Conversely, computerized, 3D dissections can be used multiple times. Ten years ago Broward County eliminated cat dissection because kids had an emotional connection to a family pet," says JP Keener, Broward's Supervisor of Science Education. Studies show what Broward teachers soon discovered: Students who learn via virtual dissection out-perform those who do conventional dissection.

I respectfully ask Miami-Dade's School Board to consider a district-wide ban on dissection. At the very least, please enact a student choice policy with non-animal options. As a leader in humane education, Miami-Dade would project an image of compassion — attractive not only to residents, but also tourists and businesses. On the other hand, continuance of cat dissection in Miami-Dade schools offends potential vacationers and shoppers, especially those with companion animals.

Dissection objectifies animals and shows students that cruelty is no big deal. Indeed, a troubled child who dismembers an "already dead" animal may gain the confidence to torture a live one. Florida's serial cat killer, Tyler Weinman, dissected cats at his Miami-Dade high school before brutally killing 19 companion cats. Teens like Weinman who "practice" on animals commonly graduate to violent crimes against humans.

Columbine shooter Eric Harris smashed mice with a crowbar and set them on fire. Washington D.C. serial killer Lee Boyd Malvo killed stray cats with a slingshot. These juveniles, along with countless more in police case files, share a significant trait: They can mutilate and kill without remorse.

With so many humane alternatives in the feline area alone — Anatomy of the Cat Video/DVD; BioLab Cat; Cat Dissection Library; CatLab; Catworks; Common House Cat Skull; Pregnant Cat Model; Dissection Video Series: Cat; etc. — there is no reason to still dissect cats or other animals.

Sincerely,

YOUR FULL NAME
ADDRESS, CITY, STATE
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Free Loan Nonanimal Dissection Tools For Schools
Organizations listed below offer diverse loan alternatives, such as CD-ROMs and virtual dissections. Schools may contact them.

FREE-LOAN DISSECTION OPTIONS FOR SCHOOLS AnimaLearn, The Science Bank FREE LOAN PROGRAM from American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) Vast source for dissection alternatives Searchable by species, purpose, age-appropriateness... www.animalearn.org/sciencebank.php www.humanestudent.org 800-729-2287; 215-887-0816; info@animalearn.org 801 Old York Road, #204 Jenkintown, PA 19046 BioLeap Lending Library of Life Science FREE LOAN PROGRAM from National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) Info hotline; PDF age-suitable handbooks 3-D plastic models, software, videos, color transparencies, etc. for a wide variety of species Guidelines for passage of a student choice policy www.navs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ain_ edu_dissection_loan_program 800-888-NAVS (6287); 312-427-6065 53 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 1552 Chicago, IL 60604 Ethical Science & Education Coalition FREE LOAN LIBRARY from New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) 400+ books, 200 videos, models, computer programs. Free catalog: Beyond Dissection with 400+ humane education alternatives. Access to ESEC's Resource Room for Boston-area students; 9am-5pm weekdays www.neavs.org/esec/alternatives/ alt_Loan_Library-Page-1.htm 617-523-6020; 617-367-9143; esec@ma.neavs.com www.neavs.org/resources/loanli brary/ dissectionalternatives_availab ility.htm 333 Washington St., Suite 850 Boston, MA 02108-5100 Humane Society of United States (HSUS) HELP, Humane Education Loan Program Extensive collection of cruelty-free options for middle school through university. Comparative studies on dissection, legal info, videos www.humanesociety.org/issues/dissection 301-258-3046; 202-452-1100 2100 L Street NW Washington DC 20037 Humane Society Youth 67 Norwich Essex Turnpike East Haddam, CT 06423 ph: 860-434-8666; fax: 860-434-9579 youth@humanesociety.org Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine Physician-composed fact sheets Physician commentaries on dissection Aid for schools/students with non-animal alternatives pcrm.org/research/edtraining/dissectionalt 202-686-2210; dissection@pcrm.org 5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20016

ONLINE ALTERNATIVE TOOLS, FACTS, RESOURCES Anatomy in Clay, Learning System Glencoe Interactive Dissections Kidwings ScienceWorks: Frog dissection CD-ROMs starting at $59.95 + many other programs. ZeroBio: Dissection videos, photos, slideshows, worksheets, quizzes. Videos include the fetal pig, frog, and sheep heart. Tangent Scientific's DryLab: Humane interactive programs for studying the frog, crayfish, perch, rat, fetal pig, or earthworm for about $125. Company also offers a variety of virtual human anatomy programs. Online Cat Dissection: Interactive pictures, videos, diagrams quizzes. Virtual Cat Dissection The ITG Catlab: Complete virtual dissection cat anatomy simulated dissections of every system, quizzes, and over 300 lab-quality images. NeoTek: In-depth virtual laboratory CD-ROMs for the cat and frog fetal pig, crayfish, perch, rat, and earthworm, from about $85 - $149. Froguts: Virtual frog dissection free online demo. Interactive CD-ROM software on virtual dissections of frog, fetal pig, squid, starfish, cow eye, and owl pellet in highly detailed graphics. Schools can access every species on unlimited number of computers for $300 per year. Digital Frog 2: Award-winning Digital Frog 2 lets students perform in-depth "dissection" of a computerized frog with digital scalpel. Also: animations, quizzes, videos, and information about frog behavior, ecology, environmental issues. Study, George Mason University researchers found that Digital Frog taught students anatomy lessons more effectively, in less time, than traditional animaldissection. Net Frog: Interactive dissection, complete with images, movies, and text. Virtual Frog Dissection Kit: Dissect a frog and use Virtual Frog Builder game to put one back together. Interactive pages available in seven different languages. Frog Dissection Lab: View photos of the external features and internal organs and systems. Operation Frog: Award- winning program with pre-lab information, frog dissection lab simulations, post-lab materials, and comprehensive teacher's guide with worksheets, puzzles, other activities. Prices start at $39. Virtual Pig Dissection (VPD) Virtual Pig Dissection Digestive System of the Rat: Images from muscular and digestive systems of the rat. Virtual Mouse Necropsy: Virtual mouse dissection step-by-step. Sheep Brain Dissection Guide Earthworm Dissection Ventura Educational Systems: Humane CD-ROM alternatives for a frog, fetal pig, and earthworm. Wellesley College: Online videos of a crayfish, frog, and sheep brain dissection. Cornell University: Information and detailed images about the morphology and physiology of frogs; links to videos and quizzes. State University of New York at Buffalo: In-depth information and graphics about a wide variety of species.