Texas
State Laws
Sec. 29.906. CHARACTER TRAITS INSTRUCTION
(a) The State Board of Education shall integrate positive character traits into the essential knowledge and skills adopted for kindergarten through grade 12, as appropriate.
(b) The State Board of Education must include the following positive character traits:
(1) courage;
(2) trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability, punctuality, and loyalty;
(3) integrity;
(4) respect and courtesy;
(5) responsibility, including accountability, diligence, perseverance, and self-control;
(6) fairness, including justice and freedom from prejudice;
(7) caring, including kindness, empathy, compassion, consideration, patience, generosity, and charity;
(8) good citizenship, including patriotism, concern for the common good and the community, and respect for authority and the law;
(9) school pride; and
(10) gratitude.
(c) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school must adopt a character education program that includes the positive character traits listed in Subsection (b). (Source)
Reported Animal Abuse Cases
ABC13 reported that two children, believed to be between the ages of 10 and 15 years old, were allegedly captured on multiple surveillance cameras around 1 am, setting a 6-week-old kitten on fire in the street. The footage reportedly shows the feline racing down the road consumed by flames as a dog, who allegedly belongs to one of the suspects, chases the blazing kitten. Apparently, the video contains audio in which children can be heard laughing as the kitten, who was later euthanized due to extensive injuries, suffered and burned.
ksat.com reported that a Bexar County teen was arrested on suspicion of torturing and killing a neighbor’s dog– who he allegedly was “pet-sitting” at the time – by shooting the animal multiple times. Reportedly, the 17-year-old was captured on surveillance video riding a motorcycle in the area before the assault, and the disturbing footage allegedly shows him dragging the canine’s body by a leash behind the vehicle. Authorities state that upon questioning, the teen admitted to shooting the dog and then disposing of the weapon in Medina Lake.
The Austin American Statesman reported 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.
Univision El Paso reported that authorities were investigating a group of apparent Charles Q. Murphree PK–8 School students for alleged animal abuse related to the violent beating of a family’s dog. This cruelty was reportedly recorded on video and shared in a group chat. The footage appears to depict a young person repeatedly kicking, stomping on, and hitting a dog as the canine seemingly seeks to escape. The video, apparently recorded in a disturbingly entertained spirit, allegedly includes audio in which someone asks, “Are you gonna make him throw up?” along with sounds of people laughing throughout the vicious attack.
Newschannel10.com reported on the arrest of a 17-year-old who allegedly shot two dogs. Pearl, a chocolate Labrador retriever, reportedly died as a result of the incident. The teen was reportedly charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals along with additional crimes.
ValleyCentral.com reported that a juvenile was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals stemming from an alleged assault on a dog during which the animal was forcefully kicked and otherwise viciously abused. The alleged attack was evidently filmed and posted to social media, and officials reportedly declared it “cruel and unjustifiable.”
ABCNews.go.com reported that Salvador Ramos—the 18-year-old accused of shooting and killing 19 children and two teachers inside Robb Elementary School—allegedly would “put cats in plastic bags, suspend them inside, throw them at the ground and throw them at people’s houses.”
The Dallas Morning News reported that police were investigating three juvenile boys who were allegedly observed stomping on a cat who was contained inside a plastic bag. The feline was apparently found still confined to the bag near a dumpster at an apartment complex and suffered extensive trauma from the assault, including a broken jaw and head injuries. The teens were allegedly seen wearing white polo shirts and khaki pants, a common school uniform at the time of the violent beating.
KWTX.com reported that a group of teenagers allegedly shot a sheep multiple times with a BB gun and cut her ears off before ultimately killing her. The sheep was found with her jaw blown off after she was left in a nearby cemetery overnight.
The El Paso Times reported that a 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals in connection with the abandonment of a dog in the desert in Horizon City.
KVIA.com reported that three El Paso teenagers faced animal torture charges after allegedly throwing a dog out of a speeding car.
KXII.com reported that the Sherman police were investigating after a child was caught on surveillance video roughly handling an injured cat and attempting to put her in a trash can.
DailyMail.co.uk reported that a student, believed to be from Dallas, filmed herself as she shoved her dog into a clothes dryer and turned it on while “screaming and laughing hysterically.”
News 4 San Antonio reported that police were investigating a teen boy who was allegedly seen on surveillance video feeding a neighbor’s cat to a group of dogs at his family’s home. Footage apparently shows the teen dangling the feline above a trio of waiting dogs and riling the canines in anticipation. The video reportedly then shows the cat attacked by the dogs after the teen drops the feline into the fenced enclosure with them. According to the news report, the remains of two other dead cats were also found on the property.
CBSAustin.com reported that a teen had been taken into custody after filming himself injuring a kitten. The animal later succumbed to her injuries.
KTXS.com reported that a chicken was allegedly set on fire and burned to death by three teenagers. The incident was reportedly recorded and uploaded to social media.
KCENTV.com reported that a Twitter video had surfaced of two teenage boys throwing a cat into a local lake. The case is reportedly under investigation, and the suspects could face charges.
TimesRecordNews.com reported that two Wichita Falls students were arrested after allegedly stabbing, dismembering, and dissecting a kitten and posting a video of the incident on Snapchat.
Chron.com reported that an FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) student had been accused of dragging a squealing pig by a rope before shooting her in the head with a rifle while on school grounds.
CBS19.tv reported that a teen was arrested and charged with seven counts of cruelty to animals after allegedly neglecting seven dogs at his residence. Some of them were left in kennels without food or water, and the others were chained without shelter. Each appeared malnourished and showed signs of other medical issues.
12 News reported that a recent Midway High School graduate was under investigation following a social media video allegedly depicting the teen lighting a dog’s corpse on fire. Reporters referred to the video posted to Zachary Molina’s Snapchat account as “graphic” and “disgusting.” According to news reports, it was unclear whether Molina was involved in the dog’s death or the dog was already deceased when the teen came upon the animal. A man claiming to be the dog’s owner told reporters that the animal had recently gone missing.
KGNS.tv reported that a group of students was responsible for a disturbing video shared on social media, which depicted a rabbit being held down and then repeatedly electroshocked with a Taser.
TXKToday.com reported that a 20-year-old man and a boy had been arrested after allegedly abusing a puppy. According to reports, security camera footage appeared to show them chasing the puppy, tossing him into the air, and throwing rocks at him.
Chron.com reported that a Snapchat video had surfaced appearing to show students in a local chapter of Young Life (a Christian youth organization) throwing live chickens around the room—even against a wall—in what they described as a “team-building exercise.” One of the chickens who had been used reportedly died soon after.
FoxSanAntonio.com reported that a group of teens was suspected of shooting cats in their neighborhood with BB guns, killing at least three and blinding another. Police were allegedly monitoring the situation.
TheExaminer.com reported that a teenager had pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony for slashing a dog’s neck, hip, and leg with a steak knife attached to a PVC pipe. The pup was reportedly found in a ditch with the blade lodged in his body and is believed to have been lying there for days before being discovered. He survived and was adopted.
CBS News reported that a 17-year-old boy was arrested and facing a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals for allegedly using a rifle to shoot his family’s three pit bulls in apparent retaliation after his mother reportedly declined to give him $20. Reportedly, two of the dogs were found dead at the scene, and the third had to be euthanized.
ValleyCentral.com reported that three juveniles had allegedly attacked and tortured about 30 animals—killing one—while vandalizing La Villa Independent School District’s barn. The animals, including pigs, lambs, goats, and a steer, were being used as part of an FFA (aka Future Farmers of America) project. They were reportedly found with large cuts on their bodies, and it’s believed that their food was poisoned. They were also beaten with a steel bat, and one animal’s eyes were gouged out. The juveniles were expected to face charges.
NBCDFW reported that 17-year-old Oscar Vega was arrested in connection with the violent slaying of a neighbor’s cat, who was allegedly beaten in the head thirty times before being decapitated and disemboweled. Apparently, when the feline’s guardian discovered her companion’s body sliced open to expose the internal organs and confronted two people outside her apartment, one person allegedly ran off with the cat’s disembodied head as the other walked into his own apartment carrying a blood-soaked knife. Upon investigation, officers reportedly recovered the bloody knife covered in cat hair from the suspect’s apartment. Vega apparently admitted to killing the animal.