California’s CLASS Act Advances to Save Animals!

Great news for animals and science education! The CLASS Act (Compassionate Learning Advancements for Science Students) has passed through the California Assembly Committee on Education! With a 8-0 vote in support, the bill has overcome the first hurdle.

Assembly Member Ash Kalra (D–San Jose) introduced Assembly Bill 347, the CLASS Act, which is sponsored by PETA and Social Compassion in Legislation. During the first hearing in the Assembly Committee, many showed up to voice support for the bill. A student who refused to dissect animals in her high school science class provided powerful testimony in support.

If the bill becomes law, the CLASS Act would modernize science education in the state of California by requiring teachers to provide written notice informing students of their right to choose a non-animal replacement, request information on sourcing and chemical preservatives students will be exposed to and encouraging teachers to pursue animal-free methods by 2028. This trailblazing bill would support a more inclusive, trauma-informed learning environment and could help prevent the needless deaths of many animals each year.

Animal Dissection Is a Lesson in Cruelty

Every year, more than 10 million animals are used for classroom dissection in the U.S.—and many of them, such as frogs, are specifically killed for this archaic practice. Frogs and some other animals are taken from their natural habitats, whereas others come from breeding facilities. Fetal pigs who end up on a dissection tray are often cut from their mother’s womb in a bloody slaughterhouse. Cats used for dissection could have been someone’s lost companion.

Educators should foster a compassionate learning environment—but forcing students to cut animals open promotes the exact opposite. Animal dissection teaches students that our fellow animals are nothing more than tools or props to be mutilated and then discarded. It also wastes school funds, exposes students and educators to formaldehyde—a known carcinogen—and deprives students of using advanced simulation methods, which studies show are superior to cutting up animals.

Students Deserve Better Science

No medical school in the U.S. or Canada engages in animal dissection as a teaching tool. Advances in medical-simulation technology, educators’ needs for better teaching and assessment tools, and the growing concern about using animals in experiments have all contributed to a paradigm shift in biomedical education. Today, simulation-based teaching is the best-practice standard in medical schools. All students, including those in grades K–12, deserve to be able to use it.

Studies show that students who use non-animal methods perform as well as, if not better than, peers who dissect animals, according to a systematic review published in The American Biology Teacher, a leading, peer-reviewed science-education journal. Non-animal methods—such as eMind digital dissection software and synthetic dissectible models like Kind Frog—also cut costs and reduce waste. Top academic programs, including the International Baccalaureate, the Next Generation Science Standards (which California adopted in 2013), and the College Board’s Advanced Placement program, don’t require—or even mention—animal dissection in their curricula.

Help Us End Animal Dissection

PETA’s humane science education division, TeachKind Science, works with educators to replace the use of animals in the classroom with interactive dissection software and realistic models.

If you’re a parent, talk to your child about saying no to animal dissection and asking their teacher for a modern, humane option. If you live in California, stay tuned for ways to help support the CLASS Act as it moves forward to the next step!