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91_HB3254eng HB3254 Engrossed LRB9111265EGfg 1 AN ACT in relation to alternatives to dissection. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 5 Dissection Alternatives Act. 6 Section 5. Findings and purpose. 7 (a) The General Assembly finds and declares that the 8 appropriate use of dissection in research and education has 9 contributed a great deal to the advancement of medical and 10 biological science. Without dissection the science of 11 anatomy could not have advanced, and it is the bedrock 12 supporting the modern practice of surgery in its many forms. 13 The appropriate use of dissection has brought many benefits 14 to the people of this State, and it continues to play 15 important roles in medical and veterinary practice, research, 16 and education. 17 (b) The General Assembly also finds that the remarkable 18 progress of the last few decades has produced significant 19 advances in computing and the graphic and representational 20 arts, and that these developments have resulted in the 21 creation of many new technologies for teaching anatomy, 22 physiology, and other medical and biological sciences. In 23 certain circumstances these new technologies are capable of 24 providing an educational experience superior to dissection, 25 and they have often proven to be less expensive and more 26 humane. 27 (c) The General Assembly also finds that the use of 28 dissection, when inappropriate or poorly supervised, can 29 result in the inhumane treatment and unnecessary suffering of 30 animals. The inappropriate or careless use of dissection in 31 schools has also in some instances traumatized students and HB3254 Engrossed -2- LRB9111265EGfg 1 contributed to a failure to teach proper respect for life and 2 living creatures. 3 (d) It is the purpose of this Act to encourage schools 4 in this State to make available and use alternatives to 5 dissection when those alternatives are appropriate and can 6 provide an educational experience that is equal or superior 7 to the traditional use of dissection. It is not in any way 8 the intention of this Act to discourage the appropriate use 9 of dissection in research or when it provides a valuable 10 educational experience to students. 11 Section 10. Definitions. For the purposes of this Act, 12 unless the context otherwise requires: 13 "Student" means a pupil at a public or private elementary 14 or secondary school in Illinois. 15 "Teacher" means a person who is teaching at a public or 16 private elementary or secondary school in Illinois, 17 regardless of whether that teaching is on a full-time or 18 part-time, temporary or permanent, or regular or substitute 19 basis. 20 "Dissection" includes cutting, killing, preserving, or 21 mounting of living or dead animals or animal parts for 22 scientific study; but does not include the cutting, 23 preserving, or mounting of (1) meat or other animal products 24 that have been processed for use as food or in the 25 preparation of food or (2) wool, silk, glue, or other 26 commercial or artistic products derived from animals. 27 Section 15. Alternative student projects. A school may 28 excuse a student enrolled in a course in which students are 29 ordinarily expected to perform, participate in, or observe 30 dissection who objects for any reason to performing, 31 participating in, or observing that dissection and instead 32 allow the student to complete an alternative project. The HB3254 Engrossed -3- LRB9111265EGfg 1 alternative project should be nonpunitive and should be 2 reasonably chosen to provide the student, through means other 3 than dissection, with knowledge similar to that expected to 4 be gained by other students in the course who perform, 5 participate in, or observe the dissection. The alternative 6 project should be consistent with any guidelines for 7 alternative projects that have been adopted by the State 8 Board of Education. 9 Section 20. Guidelines for notification of students and 10 parents. 11 (a) The State Board of Education shall develop and make 12 available guidelines that may be used by the public 13 elementary and secondary schools within this State to give 14 appropriate notice of the following to students and their 15 parents or legal guardians: 16 (1) Which, if any, of the courses taught at the 17 school ordinarily require or allow the student to 18 perform, participate in, or observe dissection. 19 (2) Whether or not the school makes available to 20 students the opportunity to complete an alternative 21 project. 22 (b) When offering high school students an opportunity to 23 choose between dissection or an alternative project, teachers 24 should encourage the students to take into consideration the 25 expectations and requirements of the colleges and graduate 26 programs that they may be interested in attending. 27 Section 25. Discrimination prohibited. A student may 28 not be penalized or discriminated against in any way for 29 refusing to perform, participate in, or observe dissection. 30 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 31 becoming law and first applies to the 2000-2001 school year.