OCALA, Fla. -- Marion County Public School officials say they're investigating accusations that a Forest High School teacher killed an animal.

  • FWC, school officials investigating teacher 
  • Teacher accused of killing 2 raccoons w/ students 
  • Incident reportedly happened on school grounds

One parent, who didn't want to be identified, says on Monday her son came home crying after he says his teacher and other students drowned two raccoons. 

"The teacher trapped them in cages, they then took the cages and he instructed the kids how to kill them,” she said. 

She said they raise chicken, and her son said the teacher killed the raccoons because they had eaten one of the chickens. 

"They basically tortured these animals and drowned them," she said. 

She says her son's teacher threatened students not to take out their phone, but says her son hid and took these pictures and a video of the incident. 

Spectrum News 13 has decided not to air the graphic video.

The parent says large trash cans were filled with water as students held the cage down in the water. 

"As the raccoons were trying to come up they had steel rods that they were holding the animals down with, and if they popped their heads up they held water hoses in their faces to drown them," she said. 

Marion County Public School officials say the teacher is on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure during an investigation. 

"What causes us great concern is that these actions supposedly took place in front of students, so that’s why we're looking into it, that's why we're absolutely taking it seriously," said Kevin Christian with Marion County Public Schools.

"While law enforcement tells us the teacher did not do anything illegal, his actions before students are certainly questionable," said Christian. 

The parent thinks the teacher should be fired. 

"It's disgusting, it was disturbing. You don’t torture animals or kill animals," she said.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Officials say they're looking into it and said, "FWC officers are investigating to see the legality of the issue that occurred. The FWC takes these matters seriously."