Teacher fired for vegan lessons

FOX RIVER GROVE, Ill., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- A Fox River Grove, Ill., middle school art teacher has been fired after he refused to stop advocating veganism during classroom lessons.

The Fox River Grove School District 3 School Board said in a prepared statement after a 7-0 vote to fire Dave Warwak that the instructor had turned his art classes into lessons on veganism and animal rights, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.

Warwak had told his students not to tell their parents, teachers or school administrators what was discussed in the lessons and he himself refused to answer questions from school officials on the subject.

Warwak was asked to leave school property Sept. 4 because he refused to discontinue his lectures on animal rights.

"You are ruining my world and eating my friends," he said at the school board meeting. He refused to return to his classroom unless the school cafeteria switches to a meatless menu.

"We are not going to go vegan at this time," said Pat Hughes, president of the school board.