Please email the National PTA president and the contact people mentioned below for your state. You can also help by asking others to visit this site and send emails.

Animal protection organizations throughout the United States condemn the Iditarod dog sled race, which is held yearly in Alaska. In spite of this condemnation, the Iditarod is being promoted in some public schools. Teachers in states with Humane Education Laws routinely violate their own state laws by promoting the Iditarod.

One-sided Iditarod propaganda has no place in a school's curriculum. Children spend hours of instructional time following the race, learning about mushers, reading musher biographies and the like. Elementary school students raised funds to go to the 1999 Iditarod. Many raised funds to sponsor mushers, including veterinarian Sonny King.

The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) directs substantial marketing efforts at teachers and children. It markets teaching kits to teachers along with Iditarod memorabilia. Teachers are encouraged to purchase, or to have their students purchase, books written by mushers. Dog deaths, injuries and kennel conditions go unmentioned or receive minimal discussion in the ITC material. The ITC strives to win acceptance for the Iditarod and for dog sled racing, so that dog sled racing will become an Olympic event.

At a time when youth violence plagues America, why are we teaching children -even the youngest children- to admire this business that has little compassion for the animals from which it benefits?

Please write to State Superintendents of Public Instruction and the Parent Teacher Associations and voice your objections to having the Iditarod promoted to schoolchildren. You will find a sample letter and contact information below:

Sample letter to School Superintendents and PTAs: Dear The Iditarod dog sled race, which is held yearly in Alaska, should not be promoted to schoolchildren. The Iditarod is condemned by animal protection organizations throughout the United States, because dogs are killed and disabled in the race. Children spend hours of instructional time being indoctrinated with one-sided propaganda about the Iditarod and mushers. They follow the race, learn about mushers, and read musher biographies. The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) markets kits to teachers along with Iditarod memorabilia. Teachers are encouraged to purchase or have their students purchase books written by mushers. Dog deaths, injuries and kennel conditions go unmentioned or receive very minimal discussion in the ITC material. Students should not be a part of activities that involve the inhumane treatment of animals. Children should not be used to raise funds for the perpetuation of this cruel event. Please let me know what actions you will take to insure that Iditarod studies are not part of the school curriculum. Sincerely,

Contact information for the National PTA, the State PTAs and the State Departments of Education

 

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