Authorities say a horrifying video of a Texas high school agriculture teacher instructing students to staple a cat's incisions closed while the animal woke up and screamed in pain.
The teacher, Emily Marie Brenner, 25, was charged with cruelty to non-domestic animals in connection with disease treatments carried out at the school in the Westwood neighborhood of Palestine, about 112 miles southeast of Dallas. CBS19 reported.
Benner was booked into the Anderson County Jail on Sunday and released the same day on $7,500 bail.
Video of the twisted lesson was obtained by CBS 19, but the organization decided not to release the footage because the content was too graphic.
According to the media, the video shows Benner instructing students in a classroom to grab the cat and place it on a table.
According to reports, the cat resisted being placed on its back and eventually began screaming when the students held it down.
According to the outlet, Benner then instructed the students on how to staple the cat's incisions.
The video ends with the class cheering. The cat has since been placed in the care of a local veterinarian, according to the outlet.
According to Texas Education Agency records, Benner received his Texas State Educator Certification on June 9, 2022, which certifies him to teach agriculture, food and natural resources to students in grades 6-12.
Westwood Independent School District Superintendent Wade Stanford called the “deeply disturbing incident” in a letter to parents and students.
Stanford called the incident animal cruelty and said he wanted to be “absolutely clear that our school district takes matters like this extremely seriously.”
“This behavior is counter to the values and standards our school district upholds, and we are committed to taking immediate and decisive action to address this issue.”
In his apology, Stanford promised the community that the school district would take steps to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
It was not immediately clear whether Benner would keep his job.
School representative Britni Calzada told the outlet that the district does not comment on personnel matters, but that the investigation is ongoing.
