Duplin Co. Schools to Receive Urgent Empathy Curricula From PETA Following Cat Killing
For Immediate Release:
November 12, 2024
Contact:
Sara Groves 202-483-7382
Humane education materials that help prevent violence by young people are on their way to a local school district from PETA’s humane education division, TeachKind, following reports that a 15-year-old student at East Duplin High School beat a cat with a baseball bat. In an urgent letter sent today to Duplin County Schools Superintendent Austin Obasohan, 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. The student has been charged with felony cruelty to animals after a video posted to social media allegedly showed him beating and killing the cat.
“This cat endured an agonizing, terrifying death at the hands of someone clearly lacking in empathy who repeatedly bludgeoned him with a baseball bat,” says PETA Vice President of Youth Programs Marta Holmberg. “It’s clear that swift intervention is needed, and TeachKind stands ready to help Duplin County Schools teach their students that every sentient being, whether a cat or a classmate, deserves empathy and respect.”
TeachKind is also sending the school district its “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; and a set of anti-bullying posters.
An epidemic of youth violence is surging throughout the U.S. Sandy Hook Promise includes cruelty to animals on its list of “10 Critical Warning Signs of Violence,” and research shows that approximately 43% of school shooters first committed acts of cruelty against animals—so animal abusers potentially pose a serious threat to communities at large. TeachKind resources are easy to integrate into schools’ existing curricula to help prevent future violence.
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.
