During the latter part of August, the football players of the Kennett High School in North Conway based in New Hampshire was on a football training camp. During the field, a number of these young football players lured a duck out of the water before beating it with broomsticks and then strangling the animal to death. This cruel activity was caught on camera, and the action of these youngsters shocked the school and local community. A number of these students who were positively identified in this act of cruelty has now been suspended from the field and won’t be allowed to continue playing.
A Heinous Activity
These were the words of Kevin Richards, the Kennett Consolidated School District Superintendent when he saw the disturbing footage. The group lured the duck from the water before one of the students hit it over the head with a broomstick. The duck was brutally maimed, and then one of the students strangled the duck in what they referred to as euthanizing the injured animal. The video was shared online and went viral pretty soon afterwards. The footage shocked not only the local community, but the school also received calls and complaints from far and wide.
Investigating the Group of Juveniles
According to Richards, the coaches were informed of the act and then the investigation was passed on to both the police as well as the New Hampshire Fish and Game officials. According to Major David Walsh, representing Fish and Game, they decided not to charge these youngsters because they wouldn’t achieve anything by charging them. He suggested that since these children were still minors, the charge laid upon them would be insignificant.
He suggested that their parents should instead be charged so that higher fines can be paid, and hours of community service added to their punishment. Therefore, between the different parties involved, they decided that the children will be suspended from sport and received community service, which varied in severity based on each student’s level of involvement in this cruel action.
Acting in a Reasonable Manner
When the footage went public, the school was overwhelmed with concerns and outrage from the public, which felt that the boys got away with a light punishment. Richard’s defended the school’s decision stating that it is difficult to determine a reasonable sentence for boys who are still teenagers and made a wrong choice.
He realizes that they were cruel, but also that children make mistakes and that the punishment of community service and being suspended was enough to teach them the consequences of their action. This event occurred at the dawn of appointing a new superintendent for the Kennett Consolidated School District. The appointment of Dr Dolan Blakey is due to take place this week, and he will start in the position of superintendent in January of next year.