Two animal rights groups want to buy more equipment for a Winona Senior High School teacher who offers virtual dissection in her biology class.

Sandra Bussian allows her students to choose between dissecting real animals and completing dissection assignments on computers.

Animalearn, a Pennsylvania group, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals each contacted Bussian this week after reading a Winona Daily News article on the class and offered to buy the teacher more virtual dissection software. The class is in danger of losing the technology because of budget cuts, Bussian said in the news story, and the animal rights groups say they want to keep that from happening.

“We think it’s wonderful that she is doing this course and offering a choice for her students,” said Nicole Green, associate director of education at Animalearn. “We want to reward her for her efforts.”

The two groups’ offers differ greatly. Animalearn wants to fill Bussian’s funding gap so she can sustain the program and continue to offer students a choice. PETA will pay for virtual dissection software throughout the entire school — but only if WSHS agrees to stop dissecting real animals altogether.

“There’s no scientific reason why they shouldn’t replace these animals completely,” PETA research supervisor Justin Goodman said. “Meaningful educational experiences are more than cheap thrills, which is what cutting up an animal is.”

Goodman said PETA sent a fax to principal John Phelps with the offer, though Phelps said Friday he hadn’t received it.

Animalearn contacted Bussian, and the two said Animalearn will likely donate about $800 worth of equipment to the school.

Bussian wants to continue offering an alternative to real animals for her students, but she isn’t going to force them to switch to virtual dissection, she said. She didn’t think WSHS was likely to accept PETA’s proposal.

“Students are requesting the hands-on experience,” she said. “I don’t think we can force technology on them either.”

Most of her students plan to enter a medical field. Touching, seeing and studying real organs and body parts are important for students, since as veterinarians, doctors or nurses, it will be an everyday occurrence in their careers, she said.

“(High school students) don’t have that opportunity anymore with hands-on manipulation,” Bussian said. “They need that experience before entering into any medical field.”

Bussian said she was “amazed” at the interest the groups had in her class, and appreciated Animalearn’s approach.

“They were so outgoing and willing to help me,” she said.

source : http://www.winonadailynews.com