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CNN Saturday Morning News

Teacher Shocks Students With Attempt to Feed Snake Puppies

Aired March 02, 2002 - 09:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In Kansas, the dinner menu for a classroom snake shocked parents and students alike.

Kathleen Berger (ph) of KAKE explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN BERGER, KAKE REPORTER (on camera): These puppies created a lot of noise at Bluestem High School.

KOREY ABBOTT, BLUESTEM HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: People were crying and stuff, and they're just jumping off the walls today.

SYLVIA SISK, BLUESTEM HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: Oh, everybody at school, they're just, like, Well, what are we going to do? What are we going to do? We need to get them out of there.

BERGER: Students were trying whatever they could to save these puppies from the mouth of this boa constrictor. According to school officials, Matt Patton is the high school biology teacher who was planning to feed the puppies to the classroom snake.

SISK: He's a very good teacher. I mean, he's friendly to everybody, he helps people with their problems and everything. But, like, the whole -- I mean, he probably wasn't trying to offend anybody by it, but it's a puppy, and it's really sad that he was going to feed it to a snake. I mean...

BERGER: The school principal says the snakes have always been fed rats or mice. When he heard student cries of "Animal cruelty!" the school resource officer came in and took the puppies away.

DALE HARPER, HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: And I really wouldn't want to speak for Matt, but I think when he has time to reflect on it, he'll easily see what their position was. He's not an insensitive guy, it's just a matter of -- he was approaching it from a scientific standpoint, I think, and never thought past that.

BERGER: After school, word of the puppies spread around town. It was the talk among parents at the town grocery store.

NITA PADDOCK, BLUESTEM HIGH PARENT: Oh, to give it puppies, I mean, how often would a snake out in the wild find a bunch of puppies? I don't suppose that often. BERGER: Nita Paddock says she doesn't feel comfortable with someone who would feed puppies to a snake teaching her son.

PADDOCK: I know my son likes him, but I can't imagine what kind of a person would want to do something like that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The principal says no school policies were violated, but some parents and students are pushing to have the teacher removed.

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