In October a California school district became the second district in the U.S. to create an entire school based on the curriculum. Seventeen states now mandate aspects of the curriculum, and two charter schools (in California and Florida) are entirely devoted to it.

Students learn about such topics as endangered species, the ozone layer and global warming, according to the National Humane Education Society. Another supporter, the New World Vision Institute, explains that the curriculum encourages students to "examine [their] cultural assumptions regarding the inherent value of different species and nature." The institute hopes for a world where "we no longer destroy each other or the Earth" and "other species have rights to life, liberty and freedom from torture."

Critics ridicule the premise of Humane Education. "The whole point here is to stick these kids' heads in the sand and teach them fantasies about how to loathe modern conveniences and prosperity and how to talk to the animals," Chris Horner, a senior fellow of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told CNSNews.com (10-20-03). "Every environmental indicator is positive, and they refuse to acknowledge this."

Students indoctrinated with the "untrue drivel" of the humane education curriculum will have "a very ugly surprise when they graduate and realize they can't just hang out with rabbits," Horner said.