After a local teenager strangled his girlfriend’s kitten during an argument, causing the animal to die later from the injuries, TeachKind—PETA’s humane education division—sent letters this afternoon urging Superintendent Les L. Huddle of the Lafayette School Corporation as well as every principal in the district to implement lessons in compassion right away. Indiana law encourages teachers to integrate “good citizenship instruction,” including “methods of conflict resolution … necessary to live peaceably in society and not resorting to violence to settle disputes.”
“This kitten deserved kindness and love but was strangled to death by a teenager who desperately needs a lesson in empathy and impulse control to prevent future violence,” says PETA Senior Director of Youth Programs Marta Holmberg. “PETA’s TeachKind division is urging area schools to help prevent any future incidents by implementing humane education without delay.”
TeachKind—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—is offering the district its “Empathy Now” guide for educators to help address and prevent youth violence against animals, in addition to offering elementary schools in the district its “Share the World” curriculum kits, appropriate for the youngest child.
TeachKind notes that according to leading mental-health professionals and law-enforcement agencies, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat to the community at large. Its staff is available to send materials to schools, suggest lesson plans, and even host classroom presentations for students via Zoom—all for free.
The group’s letter to Huddle is available upon request. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org.
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This post was originally published on Blog – PETA.
