Writer says district anatomy curriculum update needed
Vox Pop
On July 23, I emailed the Medford School District asking if there’d been any change to the fetal pig dissection policy. I also asked if dissection of cadavers of any kind is used in teaching any other District courses and if so, what cadavers, courses and grade levels. No reply as of August 5.
In 2021, I asked the District to teach high school anatomy classes without dissection of cadavers; fetal pigs in this case, who are a byproduct of an industry that slaughters pregnant animals. Request denied. I offered to donate $350 for synthetic cadaver material so it could be among the undescribed “alternatives” for any anatomy student who has what it takes to defy pressure to conform and refuses or resists dissection of cadavers of other animals. No reply.
The District said, but offered no proof, that this was the best way to teach anatomy because teachers attend conferences and receive continuing education. Why would that make it the best way, especially if vested interests are as heavily involved in promoting this as they are in promoting many other aspects of public education that enhance their profits? When I learned that they cost about $25 each, using fetal pigs seemed as if it may be the cheapest, but not necessarily the best way to teach anatomy. But my online research shows it’s not the most economical, effective or efficient.
Online research shows that digital, synthetic or virtual dissection results in student proficiency at least equivalent to that of cadavers. Search online for “alternatives to traditional high school dissection” and you’ll find that many are less expensive or even free! If you agree these alternatives are more economical and/or superior to dissection of cadavers in the teaching of anatomy, please consider notifying the District and request that they be used instead. The District students deserve more than this current Dark Age curriculum, which may simply be the result of bureaucratic inertia. It looks like switching can be almost instantaneous. Let’s see if this can happen for the upcoming school year!
— Michael Riegert, Medford
