Sample Student Choice Policy

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An effective Student Choice Policy should include the following provisions:

• Alternatives will be made available in all classes that use live (or once-living) animals. Animal use includes, but is not limited to: dissection, live animal experiments, insect collections, or any classroom activity that involves animals or their body parts.
• Students will not be penalized in any way for voicing their objections to dissection or for requesting an alternative.
• At the beginning of each term, the teacher/instructor will inform all students of their right to use an alternative to dissection/animal use.
• The alternative assignment will require the same amount of time and effort as the dissection exercise and should be limited to the same academic aim.
• The instructor, not the student, is responsible for proposing the alternative assignment.
• Alternatives will not include watching another student dissect, taking a lower grade, dropping the class, or changing majors.
• The testing procedure will not require the use of dissected specimens for those who choose an alternative.
• The school administration will monitor and ensure implementation of the Student Choice Policy.
• The Policy will be incorporated into existing curriculum guidelines and the student handbook.