Teacher fired for in-class castration
June 1992: Dick W. Pirkey Jr., a teacher at Harmony High School in Texas, was fired from his job after a student in his animal husbandry class castrated a pig with his mouth. Pirkey acknowledged that he had described such a procedure to his students, but insisted that the 17-year-old had performed the procedure without his permission and before he could stop it.
Seven months elapsed between the incident and Pirkey's termination. Explaining the delay, the School Superintendent admitted that when the board had first heard about the in-class oral castration they had thought it was a joke and that someone was trying to play a trick on them.
Pirkey appealed his termination, noting that oral castration was described in a state-approved textbook, and that it was also "routinely practiced throughout the state, but not in our locale, and is normally performed on sheep."
However, his firing was ultimately upheld by the State Commissioner of Education who pointed out that instead of stepping in to stop the student from performing the procedure, Pirkey had actually taken pictures of him as he did it. In fact, Pirkey even took a picture of the student "holding the testicle overhead in a victory stance."
Seven months elapsed between the incident and Pirkey's termination. Explaining the delay, the School Superintendent admitted that when the board had first heard about the in-class oral castration they had thought it was a joke and that someone was trying to play a trick on them.
Pirkey appealed his termination, noting that oral castration was described in a state-approved textbook, and that it was also "routinely practiced throughout the state, but not in our locale, and is normally performed on sheep."
However, his firing was ultimately upheld by the State Commissioner of Education who pointed out that instead of stepping in to stop the student from performing the procedure, Pirkey had actually taken pictures of him as he did it. In fact, Pirkey even took a picture of the student "holding the testicle overhead in a victory stance."
Tyler Morning Telegraph - June 20, 1992
Longview News Journal - Feb 26, 1994
Comments
When rural meets urban...
I would hear these stories among the FFA kids when I was in high school, but I put it down to those hicks trying to gross out us academic types. Then I found out that it was really practiced among the farmers when my parents moved our family out of the city to the country.
I would hear these stories among the FFA kids when I was in high school, but I put it down to those hicks trying to gross out us academic types. Then I found out that it was really practiced among the farmers when my parents moved our family out of the city to the country.
Posted by KDP on 09/15/20 at 01:58 PM
One of my friends in AG class castrated a sheep that way. With the teacher in attendance. Not a big deal. Go figure.
Posted by Steve E. on 09/15/20 at 07:25 PM
When I first saw this post, I thought the headline referred to one of the students...
Posted by Brian on 09/15/20 at 09:16 PM
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Category: Animals | Farming | Education | 1990s