A high school teacher in Wise County fed a live but sick kitten to a snake in her classroom, the district acknowledged Friday, though not in front of her students.
Alvord ISD Superintendent Randy Brown issued a statement in an effort to “correct the record” regarding accusations on social media, which claimed the teacher fed a live kitten to a snake during class. Alvord ISD serves more than 800 students and is located about a 50-minute drive northwest of Fort Worth.
Brown said a parent notified the district’s police department and the Animal Control Division of the Wise County Sheriff’s Office earlier this month about the incident, prompting investigations from the school district and local law enforcement.
Brown said the teacher, “an experienced educator and animal lover” who teaches advanced animal science, fed the “ailing” kitten to a snake before the school day, and later told her students about it. The teacher then allowed a student to take three other sick kittens home with permission from their parents.
The other kittens died at the student’s home, Brown said.
The teacher later apologized to her students and removed all snakes from her classroom, Brown said.
Local law enforcement and the district attorney all reviewed the case, but referred it back to the district for administrative action, Brown said, meaning there are limits on what else he can share.
“While we cannot provide additional details, we can confirm this was a one-time, isolated incident that has been addressed and fully remediated,” Brown siad.
He encouraged any parents with concerns about their children to report them to district staff.