Cleveland Schools to Receive Empathy Curricula After Teens’ Reported Violent Carjacking
For Immediate Release:
December 2, 2024
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Humane education materials that help prevent violence by young people are on their way to local schools from PETA’s humane education division, TeachKind, following reports that two teen suspects—ages 14 and 17—were arrested after allegedly assaulting a woman, kicking one of her dogs, and stealing her car at gunpoint, and using another stolen car in an attempt to run over two girls just days later. In letters sent today to Cleveland Metropolitan School District Chief Executive Officer Warren G. Morgan II and Breakthrough Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Andrew McRae, TeachKind explains that humane education fosters empathy for all living, feeling beings—and TeachKind also sent along kindness-to-animals educational materials, including “Empathy Now,” a guide to preventing violence by young people.
“These teens’ alleged crime spree included kicking a dog so hard that the animal tumbled over onto their back, all while their guardian was being carjacked at gunpoint,” says PETA Vice President of Youth Programs Marta Holmberg. “TeachKind stands ready to help students learn that every sentient being, whether a canine or a classmate, deserves empathy and respect.”
In response to the epidemic of youth violence surging throughout the U.S., TeachKind is sending the districts additional resources that are easy to integrate into schools’ existing curricula to help prevent future violence. These resources include TeachKind’s “Challenging Assumptions” curriculum, which helps secondary school students examine discrimination and other social justice issues; its “Share the World” program kit, which includes lessons that aim to foster empathy for animals and are appropriate for even the youngest learners; a set of anti-bullying posters; and copies of Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion by PETA President Ingrid Newkirk.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. TeachKind offers free presentations, lessons, and other resources to help teachers add compassion to their curricula. For more information, please visit TeachKind.org or follow TeachKind on Facebook or Instagram.
