An Oregon school district is changing the way it teaches students about slaughtering farm animals, after a student complained about having witnessed that process as part of an agriculture class.
Officials in the 16,000-student North Clackamas district, located outside of Portland, heard objections about the slaughtering of animals in September, after a 9th grader objected to watching the killing of sheep as part of her agricultural-vocational class, the district’s superintendent said.
Later, others complained that the process did not follow federal guidelines for the humane killing of animals because the sheep were not stunned first, Superintendent Ron Nano said.
As a result, the district is considering moving that portion of the agriculture class to an off-campus facility that adheres to federal requirements, though finding a site nearby may be difficult, he said.