“There is No Place For This Type of Cruelty in the Classroom”

Letter from Esther Klein Friedman, PhD to Thunder Bay (MI) News Network

Re: Place-based learning engages Mich. students in science

I am truly so disappointed that you would cover a chick-hatching & observation unit. While these were popular “in the old days,” there is no place for this type of cruelty in the classroom. After the “observation” is over, the children are told that the chicks will be returned to a farm. This is not true. The chicks are killed afterward because they cannot be integrated with other farmed animals because of their exposure to potential diseases they might have picked up in the classroom or in transit. These projects just promote the death of innocent animals. There are excellent alternatives to this practice.

Many schools have dumped this inhumane and unnecessary type of project. It's time for you to get with the times and stop highlighting something that is just wrong.

I'm really disappointed in your editorial judgment.

Sincerely,

Esther
Esther Klein Friedman, Ph.D.

New York City

• Humane Education
• School Hatching Projects