A Texas high school teacher is facing intense criticism after telling students she fed a sick kitten to a classroom snake earlier this month.
The incident occurred in an advanced animal science class at Alvord High School, located about an hour outside Dallas. The teacher reportedly told her students that one of the snakes had been given an “ailing” kitten before class began in early September. She later gave the rest of the litter to a student.
That student, shaken by the story, brought the three surviving newborn kittens home with parental permission. Despite bottle-feeding them every few hours over the next two weeks, all three kittens eventually died, according to Alvord ISD Superintendent Randy Brown.
Brown issued a statement “to correct the record” after reports surfaced claiming that the kitten had been sacrificed in front of the class. He clarified that the event was not witnessed by students and emphasized that the teacher, described as “an experienced educator and animal lover,” has taken responsibility and apologized.
Following the incident, the teacher voluntarily removed all snakes from the classroom. “While we cannot provide additional details, we can confirm this was a one-time, isolated incident that has been addressed and fully remediated,” Brown said.
The situation drew the attention of law enforcement and animal rights advocates after a concerned parent contacted the school district’s police department, the Wise County Sheriff’s Animal Control Division, and PETA on September 3. A joint investigation was conducted, but no criminal charges were filed. Any further disciplinary action will be handled by the district.
It remains unclear how the teacher obtained the litter of kittens or why they were in such poor condition.
While snakes are common across Texas—such as rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and other venomous varieties—most do not typically prey on household pets. Larger snakes, such as Burmese pythons found in Florida, are far more likely to consume animals capable of putting up a struggle.