Epidemic:
Kids Hurting Animals

As mental-health and law-enforcement experts well know, cruelty to animals and violence against humans are inextricably linked. Many educators are aware that serial killers and school shooters—including alleged killers Salvador Ramos, Payton Gendron, Nikolas Cruz, and Ethan Crumbley—tend to have a history of cruelty to animals, and Sandy Hook Promise has cruelty to animals on its “10 Critical Warning Signs of Violence” list.

Forty-three percent of perpetrators of schoolyard massacres commit acts of cruelty to animals first. Educators can help prevent future tragedies by including kindness to animals in the curriculum. Amid the current epidemic of youth violence, PETA urges everyone to report every act of cruelty against animals and calls on authorities to take each animal abuse claim seriously—for the sake of the animal victims and to help prevent future harm. Lives may depend on it.

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Delaware

State Laws

§ 4164 School bullying awareness and prevention

“(2) Each school district and charter school shall establish a policy which, at a minimum, includes the following components: … n. A requirement that the school bullying prevention program be implemented throughout the year, and integrated with the school’s discipline policies and § 4112 of this title.” (Source)

Reported Animal Abuse Cases

May 2021/Milford, Delaware

Two teens allegedly trapped a groundhog and ran him over with a steamroller. The abuse was reportedly videoed by the teens’ father and posted on Snapchat.