A teacher at Alvord High School in Wise County, Texas admitted to feeding a live, week-old kitten to a snake in her classroom before the school day began. The teacher later told students about the act and reportedly said she had fed other kittens to snakes at home, adding, “You can’t save them all.” One student, disturbed by what they heard, took the remaining kittens home with parental permission—but all three died soon after.

This wasn’t a science lesson. This was a deeply inappropriate and cruel act involving defenseless newborn animals, carried out by someone in a position of power in a public school. The district says the snake was removed, but the teacher is still in the classroom. There has been no criminal investigation, no transparent disciplinary action, and no formal change in policy to prevent this from happening again.

Animal cruelty has no place in education. Live animals should not be kept in classrooms where oversight is limited, emotional boundaries are unclear, and students can be exposed to traumatic experiences involving harm to living creatures. Teachers are supposed to model compassion, not normalize avoidable suffering.

We’re calling on Superintendent Randy Brown and the Alvord Independent School District to immediately ban the use of live prey feedings and implement clear, enforceable guidelines for how animals are housed, handled, and integrated into classrooms. These must include age-appropriate care standards, staff oversight, and trauma-informed protections for students. We’re also calling for a formal investigation into the incident, a mandatory reporting policy for any future harm to animals, and a public response that makes clear this conduct will not be tolerated.

Schools should be safe—for students, and for the animals brought inside them. If a kitten can be killed in a classroom without meaningful consequences, what message does that send about how we treat the most vulnerable?

Add your name to demand real accountability and lasting change.