PALESTINE, Texas — WARNING: Some images and descriptions of this incident could be considered graphic.
An East Texas agriculture teacher was charged with animal cruelty this weekend in connection with a "troubling incident" during agricultural animal science class.
Emily Marie Benner was booked into the Anderson County Jail on Sunday and released the same day on a $7,500 bond.
According to the Westwood ISD website, Benner is the agriculture animal teacher at the school district located in Palestine.
CBS19 obtained a copy of the video of the alleged incident. The video is graphic in nature and we are choosing not to share it online or broadcast it on television.
It also shows students in the classroom, so we have chosen to blur their faces to protect their identities. Instead of showing the video, we will post a series of images and describe what happened.
The video begins with Benner instructing the students to each grab the cat and lay it down on a table. The cat was awake and resisting during the incident.
You can see in the image below, the cat begins to scream. The students hold down the cat as instructed and proceed to turn it on its back.
The teacher then guides the students to perform the stapling on the cat’s incision.
The video concludes with cheers being heard after the procedure. CBS19 has learned that the cat is alive and under the care of a local veterinarian
We are working to obtain documents regarding Benner’s arrest.
According to records with the Texas Education Agency, Benner received her Texas Educator Certificate on June 9, 2022, and it is set to expire in 2027. She is certified to teach agriculture, food and natural resources for sixth through 12th grade.
On Monday, Superintendent Wade Stanford issued a letter to parents, students and the community, the district staff became aware of a "deeply troubling incident" that happened during the agricultural animal science class on Friday.
Stanford said that incident amounted to animal cruelty, and he said, "we want to make it absolutely clear that our district takes such matters extremely seriously."
"This behavior is not in line with the values and standards we uphold within our district, and we are committed to taking immediate and decisive action to address this issue," Stanford said.
He apologized to the students, their families and the whole community for this "unacceptable occurrence." He assured people that the district would implement measures to prevent any future incidents.
Stanford's letter did not mention Benner by name.
Britni Calzada, Westwood ISD public relations coordinator, said the district does not comment on personnel matters. She said the incident is an ongoing investigation that's getting handled by authorities.