Robert Crosland: Parents, Kids Rally Around Idaho Teacher Who Fed A Puppy To A Snapping Turtle
Parents and students alike are calling on an Idaho school district to reinstate Robert Crosland, a science teacher who’s been on leave since feeding a puppy to a snapping turtle, Idaho News is reporting.
Unless you live in Idaho, it’s probably been a while since you’ve heard Mr. Crosland’s name. But in and around the southeast Idaho town of Preston, he’s been on everyone’s minds for weeks. That’s because back in March, as the Inquisitr reported at the time, Mr. Crosland gave a science lesson that didn’t go over particularly well. After school – although apparently on school grounds, and with a few kids present, Crosland fed a puppy to a snapping turtle.
As it turns out, Crosland kept a variety of animals in his science classroom, and he was just going through their regular feeding. As to why he chose a puppy for the snapping turtle – that’s not particularly clear, but at least one student said the dog was injured and was going to die anyway.
Near death or not, a local animal activist was not impressed when she heard about the lesson, alleging that the animal “screamed” while he was being devoured. She filed a police report, and Crosland was placed on administrative leave. He remains on leave as of this writing.
Animal rights activists are condemning Robert Crosland, a local teacher, for feeding a live puppy to a snapping turtle in class. Parents are rallying around the teacher, saying the puppy was already sick, but Idaho laws say euthanasia is the only humane death for animals. pic.twitter.com/5CIHsFI5ju
— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 15, 2018
Two months later, as The Idaho State Journal reports, the community is trying to get Mr. Crosland back into the classroom. Speaking to a Preston School Board meeting, parent Dave Kerr called Mr. Crosland a positive influence.
“This teacher has influenced everyone in this room. We support this gentleman.”
Similarly, parent Darren Kelly said that the community should have its teachers’ backs.
“It is time to stand behind our teachers. It is time to stand behind our kids.”
The Preston School Board, for its part, declined to comment on Crosland’s employment status. That’s par for the course at almost every public school in the country, however, as it’s unprofessional to discuss personnel matters while investigations are ongoing.
As for whether or not Mr. Crosland will face criminal animal cruelty charges, two months on, that still remains unclear. Though his case has been referred to the Attorney General’s office, no official statements have been made, as of this writing.
