Poisoning of Goat Prompts PETA’s Offer of $5,000 for Local School District to Switch to Plants-Only Ag Program
For Immediate Release:
December 18, 2024
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
A 17-year-old Vista Ridge High School student is facing charges for allegedly fatally poisoning a goat named Willie housed at the school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) facility by force-feeding him pesticide. In response, TeachKind, PETA’s humane education division, sent a letter today to Leander Independent School District Superintendent Bruce Gearing, urging him to ensure that no other animals suffer and die as a result of its agriculture program—whether on school grounds or in slaughterhouses, where many animals used in FFA programs typically end up. TeachKind is calling on the district to pivot to a vegan agriculture program that teaches students to grow nourishing fruits and vegetables and to send surviving animals to reputable sanctuaries—and PETA will donate $5,000 to help get the plant-powered program off the ground.
“Agriculture programs that use animals demand that students emotionally disconnect from the thinking, feeling beings they’ve spent months caring for, and as Willie’s death shows, the consequences can be devastating,” says PETA Vice President of Youth Programs Marta Holmberg. “TeachKind is urging educators to ensure that no more lives are lost on their watch by embracing a vegan program that helps students cultivate crops and compassion.”
PETA points out that goats are highly social herd animals who are happiest in the company of others, can become depressed if they’re separated or isolated from their companions, and have been known to wag their tails and jump for joy when pleased. Goats and other animals used for FFA projects are typically sold at auction once projects are completed and hauled off for slaughter or to be used as “breeders” until their exhausted bodies give out and they, too, are killed.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness and free Vegan Starter Kits for anyone looking to make the switch. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org or follow TeachKind on Facebook or Instagram.
TeachKind’s letter to Gearing follows.
December 18, 2024
Bruce Gearing, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Leander ISD
Via e-mail
Dear Dr. Gearing:
I’m writing from TeachKind, PETA’s humane education division, which works with thousands of educators across the U.S. to promote compassion for animals. We saw reports out of Cedar Park that a 17-year-old Vista Ridge High School student faces a felony charge for allegedly poisoning Willie, a goat who was being raised by a classmate at the Vista Ridge Future Farmers of America (FFA) agricultural facility. The violent attack was apparently captured on a surveillance video that appears to depict the teen entering Willie’s pen, straddling him, and forcing an alleged pesticide-filled syringe into his mouth multiple times as he attempts to flee. Willie reportedly suffered for 21 hours, convulsing and bellowing in pain before dying in his guardian’s arms.
While Willie’s life can never be replaced, this tragedy was entirely preventable. Since the numerous security measures provided, including cameras and teacher supervision, failed to protect Willie, we appeal to your sense of safety and compassion and urge you to stop using animals in your agricultural programs. PETA stands ready to donate $5,000 to Vista Ridge High School to develop a plant-based agriculture program if you commit to no longer using animals.
Changing times call for a reevaluation of agriculture programs and reflection on the underlying messages they send to students, namely that it’s acceptable to exploit others for awards, accolades, and money or to send their animal friends—even if they’ve cared for and bonded with them for months—to a violent, terrifying death at a slaughterhouse. Many young people join animal agriculture programs because they’re interested in animals, but these programs demand that they develop a harmful disconnect from those very animals, the consequences of which can be detrimental.
It’s critical to note that the suffering that Willie experienced mirrors what he likely would have endured at the end of the program. When FFA projects conclude, most animals involved are sold at auction—typically for slaughter or to be used as “breeders,” only to be sent to slaughter once their bodies are no longer viewed as profitable. Often, FFA program participants don’t fully grasp the devastating fate an animal will face after being sold, and if they did, they’d likely decline to participate. As students process Willie’s painful and prolonged death, we encourage you to have an honest dialog with them about what animals are subjected to at a slaughterhouse. Presenting young people with broad and accurate details about an issue promotes critical thinking skills; giving them tools to enact change based on their findings empowers them to become lifelong learners.
We urge you to adopt 21st-century programming, which recognizes that the future of agriculture relies on growing crops instead of raising and killing animals for food to combat the climate catastrophe. Worldwide, farming communities like yours are shifting their practices toward sustainability and compassion by recognizing the devastating impacts of animal agriculture.
At TeachKind, we’re former teachers, so we know that educators have the best intentions and want to build on students’ natural interest in animals to cultivate qualities like responsibility and care for other sentient beings, as well as help them develop career skills. But we can share these essential lessons in ways that teach students that animals are someone, not something. Your agricultural program could help students better prepare for the future by teaching them how to produce healthy fruits and vegetables, supporting their growth into compassionate, responsible individuals who will make the world a better place for everyone. Humane farming education, like the LEAP program, an innovative agriculture initiative in which students study animal care and our food system in a sustainable, compassionate way, provides learners with modern information about our changing world while preparing them to meet the needs of our future. Plus, extending respect and kindness to all animals would be a seamless way to expand on your educational goal of supporting students to embody your district’s 10 Ethical Principles and preparing graduates to be Compassionate Community Contributors.
On behalf of PETA and our many members and supporters who live in Texas, will Leander ISD commit to ending the use of animals in its agriculture program? Our staff is on standby to discuss this issue with you further and to assist with this compassionate change.
We thank you in advance for your consideration of this important matter and look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Julie Everett (she/her)
Correspondence and Project Administrator
TeachKind | PETA’s Humane Education Division
cc: Crestina Hardie, Chief Communications Officer
Sarah Grissom, Ed.D., Deputy Superintendent of Administrative Services & Strategic Planning
DeWayne Street, Chief of Educational Access
