A student in Texas complained after a teacher said she had four sick kittens from her cat at home and fed one of them to her pet snake at school. Apparently this wasn’t done in the presence of her students.
It bothered one of the students so much that they asked if they could take the other three sick kittens home, which died later.
The teacher apologized and no chargers were ever filed after the school was given the choice on how to proceed by the local police department.
Here’s more from Daily Mail:
A female science teacher has apologized after students complained when she fed a live kitten to a snake in the classroom.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a blistering statement condemning the actions of the unnamed teacher after a student’s parents complained to the organization.
The teacher of animal science in Alvord, Texas – about an hour north of Fort Worth – was accused of bringing in four sick kittens that were born by her cat and feeding one of them to the snake, according to the complainant.
One of the students in the classroom was so disturbed that they reportedly asked to take the remaining three kittens home, where they all later died.
The complainant reported that the teacher even taunted the student, telling them: ‘You can’t save them all’.
She also reportedly said that she was feeding the kittens to snakes at her home. After receiving the complaint, PETA called on the high school to ban the use of live animals in the classroom and investigate the teacher’s conduct.
‘If reports are true, an educator who should be teaching her students empathy and respect for others is instead tearing newborn kittens from their mother and subjecting them to a painful, terrifying death in front of shocked and traumatized teenagers,’ PETA Vice President Rachelle Owen said.
‘Anyone who would demonstrate such cruel and disturbing behavior shouldn’t be around children or animals, and PETA is calling for an immediate investigation and a ban on live animals in all Alvord classrooms’.
Alvord Superintendent Randy Brown confirmed that the teacher fed one ‘ailing’ kitten to a snake ‘outside the presence of students’.
The shocking incident was investigated by the Alvord ISD Police Department and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control after a parent reported it.
Authorities then gave the district administration the power to determine the next steps, and no criminal charges were filed.
‘The teacher, an experienced educator and animal lover, has apologized to the students for her actions and voluntarily removed all snakes from her classroom,’ Brown said.
The superintendent added that the district had limits to what they could share, but acknowledged that students were upset.
The parent whose child took home the other three kittens, anonymously told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that her daughter texted her on September 3 asking if she could take the kittens home.
I can’t believe this is even a story. And for once, I think I’m on the side of PETA on this one.