Teacher forced to apologise for feeding sick kitten to classroom snake | US | News
A female science teacher has apologised after pupils claimed she fed a live kitten to a snake in her classroom. The unnamed teacher of animal science in Alvord, Texas—about an hour north of Fort Worth—was accused of bringing in four sick kittens born by her cat and feeding one of them to the snake.
One of her students was so shocked that they reportedly asked to take the remaining three kittens home, where they all later died. It was later claimed that the teacher even taunted one student, telling them, “You can’t save them all!” She also reportedly said that she was feeding the kittens to snakes at her home.
The school investigated and said the teacher never fed the kitten to the snake in front of any pupils. They said the incident occurred in the morning before classes started and that no students were present.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a blistering statement condemning her actions after a pupil’s parents complained to them.
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.
PETA Vice President Rachelle Owen said: “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 traumatised teenagers.
“Anyone who would demonstrate such cruel and disturbing behaviour 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.”
The shocking incident was investigated by the Alvord ISD (Independent School District) and the Wise County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control after a parent reported it.
Alvord ISD Superintendent Randy Brown confirmed that the teacher fed one “ailing” kitten to a snake “outside the presence of students”. No criminal charges were filed after an investigation.
Mr Brown added: “The teacher, an experienced educator and animal lover, has apologised to the students for her actions and voluntarily removed all snakes from her classroom.”
The superintendent added that he acknowledged how and why 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.
When asked why, the high school student told her mother that her friends watched a snake eat the kitten during the teacher’s class earlier in the day.
The unnamed student’s mother went on: “It was really hard on her — she was up every two hours trying to feed them. A couple of days later, the teacher is saying, ‘Thanks to whoever turned me in,’ and trying to justify it.”
