Steer’s Slaughter at School Protested

A 2-year-old steer that had been raised at a Christian school in Brea was slaughtered Thursday in front of students, drawing some protest and dismaying an animal rights group.

An employee at Carbon Canyon Christian School and the butcher the school hired several weeks ago said the slaughter of the 1,100-pound steer named T-bone was educational for the students in kindergarten through 12th grade who attended.

“They all had permission from their parents to be there, and it was a great educational process,” butcher Paul Schaner said. “It’s part of their education to see where meat comes from. You can study it in books, but when I showed it to them right there on the ground it was very educational.”

Christine Lay, a school secretary, also said it was a valuable learning experience for the students.

“They were wide-eyed and amazed,” she said. “They said, ‘Wow! This is where hamburger comes from.’ Some said, ‘I can handle this. I can be a doctor.’ It was a very positive farm-type experience.”

Police were called after a dozen protesters tried to block Schaner’s truck from the campus.

“They just wanted to make their point,” Police Lt. Bill Hutchinson said. “They made it, and everybody went on their way.

“The reality is that this happens at various campuses around the county. I personally witnessed it when I went to high school here. Our steaks and hamburgers don’t get to the table by magic,” he said.

Animal rights activists, however, were aghast.

“We find this disgusting,” said Lacey Levitt, campaign director of Last Chance for Animals, a Los Angeles-based animal protection organization. “I think school officials should be encouraging children to be kind to animals, not to kill them.”

Anjali Heble, 15, a student at nearby Brea Olinda High School, helped organize the protest after learning from a friend who attends Carbon Canyon Christian that the animal was to be slaughtered.

“We feel that it was really unnecessary and cruel,” she said. “I feel that it’s wrong to do that in front of all those kids. I feel horrible about it.”

School officials did not return telephone calls Thursday seeking comment.

Authorities said the school may have violated several city laws.

“The zoning at that property doesn’t provide at all for the keeping or slaughtering of livestock,” said David Crabtree, Brea’s city planner.

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Times wire services contributed to this story.