ANIMALS IN THE SCHOOL

PR-5-2

PROCEDURAL DOCUMENT

Effective Date: 4 September 2012

Rationale

In any activity involving animals, the safety of everyone at School and the care and welfare of the animal/s is important. 

Purpose

To ensure that animals within class programmes are cared for appropriately. 

Guidelines

  1. Permission needs to be sought and given before animals can be brought into school.
  2. Animals will be given an appropriate balanced diet which includes ready access to clean drinking water.
  3. Animals will be kept in secure surroundings of adequate size, which are designed with safety, servicing and hygiene in mind.
  4. Proper provision will be made for the care of animals during the weekends and school holidays.
  5. High standards of cleanliness and hygiene will be maintained, and animal waste removed.
  6. Animals brought to school on a temporary basis will be cared for and not subjected to unnecessary stress.
  7. Animals purchased by members of staff are their responsibility, along with all expenses.
  8. If a class programme is developed which calls for animals to be studied or used in teaching the Animal Welfare Act 1999 must be complied with. Consultation with the New Zealand Association of Science Educators (NZASE) is recommended.
  1. Any activity in which a live animal [mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish (bony or cartilagineous), octopus, squid, crab (including half crab), lobster, crayfish (including freshwater crayfish), as defined in the Animal Welfare Act 1999] is used for teaching or research requires ethical approval.
  2. Approval from an Animal Ethics Committee that is willing to enter into a parenting arrangement with the school is a legal pre-requisite prior to using animals.
  3. A list of the types of activities that require approval can be located at http://www.nzase.org.nz/ethics.html.
  4. The NZASE holds a Code of Ethical Conduct for use of animals in teaching and schools and also runs an ethics committee administered by the Royal Society of NZ that will consider school projects for approval.

Conclusion

While it is desirable that students learn to care for animals, the welfare of the animal/s is important.

 

Additional Resources:

Animals in School Education Trusts (http://www.aiset.org.nz)

Te Kete Ipurangi – The Online learning Center (http://www.tki.org.nz/e/tki search Caring for Animals)