On the heels of reports that a 15-year-old East Hamilton High School student allegedly stomped on, skinned, and killed a raccoon in the school's parking lot (which was caught on video and shared via Snapchat), TeachKind—PETA's humane-education division—sent letters Tuesday to schools in the Hamilton County Department of Education school district to call for humane education in the classroom. TeachKind has also asked the superintendent to include a prohibition on cruelty to animals in the district's zero-tolerance policy.
In its letters, TeachKind explains that abusing animals can lead to continued antisocial behavior, from further acts of cruelty against animals to bullying, aggression and violence against humans. TeachKind and PETA—whose mottos read, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way"—are also offering free copies of their "Abuse: Report It if You See It" poster to each school in the area.
"This raccoon's agonizing death is a painful reminder that now is the time to start teaching young people kindness," says PETA Senior Director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns Marta Holmberg. "TeachKind is asking local schools to let students know that any kind of cruelty or insensitivity is wrong by implementing humane education into school curriculum immediately."
For more information, please visit TeachKind.org.