Humane Education

Humane Education

As part of our commitment to helping animals in need, the Putnam County SPCA offers humane education classes to schools to inform children about the impact of animal cruelty in the community. Officers from the Humane Law Enforcement Department are available to visit schools throughout Putnam County to provide humane education to students, providing valuable first-hand knowledge about cruelty and prevention.

Humane education classes are designed to teach students:

  • Who the SPCA is and our role in preventing animal cruelty
  • What is a rule, a law and why they exist.
  • The meaning and significance of animal cruelty
  • Recognizing animal cruelty and it’s types
  • Methods for combating animal cruelty
  • Appropriate steps for reporting known or suspected animal cruelty
  • The harmful effects of animal cruelty on both animals & humans

DID YOU KNOW?

NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION LAW, ARTICLE 17 states:

§ 809. Instruction in the humane treatment of animals. 1.The officer, board or commission authorized or required to prescribe courses of instruction shall cause instruction to be given in every elementary school under state control or supported wholly or partly by public money of the state, in the humane treatment and protection of animals and the importance of the part they play in the economy of nature as well as the necessity of controlling the proliferation of animals which are subsequently abandoned and caused to suffer extreme cruelty. Such instruction shall be for such period of time during each school year as the board of regents may prescribe and may be joined with work in literature, reading, language, nature study or ethnology. Such weekly instruction may be divided into two or more periods. A school district shall not be entitled to participate in the public school money on account of any school or the attendance at any school subject to the provisions of this section, if the instruction required hereby is not given therein.

In addition to promoting humane education in schools, Putnam County SPCA officers are also available to speak to other interested groups or organizations on a variety of topics.

If you’re interested in having the Putnam County SPCA officers address your school or organization, please contact us at 845-520-6915 or email us at info@spcaputnam.org.