Policies & Procedures
Administrative Procedure: 3207
LIVE ORGANISMS IN THE CLASSROOM AND LABORATORY
The College encourages inquiry that incorporates the use of live organisms in the classroom, laboratory, and external College environment. However, the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff are of primary importance when planning for such use. Accordingly, the use of live organisms in educational settings must include hazard identification, risk assessment, student and personnel training and protection, and preventative protection measures.
The Live Organism Care Committee will oversee the use of live organisms in College classrooms and laboratories. All such use will comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Consideration will also be given to student, faculty, and staff concerns regarding live organisms. Contact the Dean of STEM regarding the Live Organism Care Committee.
Notice will be prominently posted in all classrooms and laboratories in which live organisms are used. In addition, all course syllabi will include an announcement indicating that live organisms will be used in that course and providing the general procedures regarding them.
The Live Organism Care Committee will prepare and periodically review faculty
applications for the use of live organisms in the classroom. Review and revision of such applications will routinely occur any time there is a change in the use of live organisms in any classroom or laboratory.
All use of live organisms in the classroom, laboratory, or on College grounds will be subject to the guidelines developed for such use by the Live Organism Care Committee.
Each room in which live organisms are used will have the following statement prominently posted:
Notice of potential health hazard: This lab houses a variety of living organisms (plant, animal, protozoa, fungi, bacteria) that might provoke an allergic reaction or cause illness in sensitive persons or cause injury if mishandled or mistreated. Students should handle live organisms only with the instructor’s permission and only in the manner indicated by the instructor. Intentional mistreatment of live organisms by any student will result in disciplinary action involving removal from the classroom while the organisms are present. Students susceptible to allergic reactions or who have other reservations about being in a classroom that houses live organisms should discuss their concerns with their instructor at the beginning of the semester.
Each course syllabi in which live organisms are used will include the following statement:
Notice of potential health hazard: This course uses a variety of living organisms (plant, animal, protozoa, fungi, bacteria) that might provoke an allergic reaction or cause illness in sensitive persons or cause injury if mishandled or mistreated. Students should handle live organisms only with the instructor’s permission and only in the manner indicated by the instructor. Intentional mistreatment of live organisms by any student will subject the student to disciplinary action involving removal from the classroom, while the organisms are present. Students susceptible to allergic reactions or who have other reservations about the use of live organisms in the classroom should discuss their concerns with the instructor at the beginning of the semester so that alternative learning experiences can be arranged.
The Live Organism Care Committee will develop and distribute forms to provide records and permits for the use of live organisms at the College.
References:
Rowan College of South Jersey Board of Trustees Policy Manual, 3207 Live Organisms in the Classroom and Laboratory
The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-544)
Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. National Institutes of Health.
Position Statements. Association for Accreditation and Assessment of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) International
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook. 2nd Edition, 2002. Office of Laboratory Animal Welfares/Applied Research Ethics National Association.