A teacher at Alvord High School in Texas reportedly told her students that she fed an "ailing" kitten to a classroom snake before school in early September -- and they didn't take it well.
The incident began when a teacher gained access to a litter of sick kittens and reportedly fed one of them to the classroom snake before the school day began and when no one else was in the room. The instructor told the students about it and later sent the remaining kittens -- three of them -- home with a student. The kid tried to care for them but all three passed away.
The teacher's story caused distress among the students, and they reported it to the superintendent earlier last month, who investigated. He released a statement saying there was a joint investigation by the school district, local law enforcement, and animal welfare organizations.
"We understand that some students and others were upset by this situation, and that is the last thing we want," Supt. Randy Brown wrote, adding, ""The teacher, an experienced educator and animal lover, has apologized to the students for her actions and voluntarily removed all snakes from her classroom."
The teacher, described as an "experienced educator and animal lover," apologized to her students.
The incident was deemed a one-time, isolated event that has been addressed and fully remediated, with no criminal charges filed against the teacher. PETA filed a whistleblower's complaint about animal cruelty and said the kittens were born to the teacher's own cat.
"Reportedly, the teacher claimed to have another pregnant cat at home and taunted the student, saying, 'You can’t save them all,' and said that she is also feeding kittens to snakes at her home," PETA reported.
The animal rights organization is seeking for the removal of all live animals from the district's classrooms.