PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Police have confirmed someone is leaving dead animals near the teacher’s picket line at the Peters Township School District, and, in one case, someone reportedly threw a dead squirrel at one of those teachers.
The teachers in the district have been on strike since Oct. 28 after negotiations between the Peters Township Federation of Teachers (PTFT) and the district broke down.
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Teachers have been picketing at the same spot since then and someone allegedly left a dead deer with the letters PTFT sprayed painted in blue on it in that spot after a heated board meeting Monday night.
“I don't know why anybody would do this,” Peters Township senior Ryan Ortosky said.
Teachers reported to police last week that a raccoon was left in the same area, and the body of a second dead animal was found draped over a stop sign.
The Peters Township police chief confirmed that his department is investigating each of the incidents but declined to comment any further.
The district released a statement Tuesday, saying officials are cooperating with police.
"We have been made aware of these issues and we absolutely do not condone this behavior. The district has provided the use of our camera system to assist our local police in the matter,” the statement said. “As was shared last night at the board meeting, the district has repeatedly reminded our community to treat each other with respect during this challenging time."
Eric Tabor, who stands with the parent-led group that’s opposing the strike, said he had his own ideas about who is responsible for leaving the dead animals.
“We absolutely do not condone this action at all. We stand for a peaceful resolution,” he said. “We suspect it could be a group of teenagers in the community who right now have a lot of idle time on their hands.”
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