Teachers group backs Calgary art instructor fired after student killed chicken

CALGARY – A national lobby group for teachers is backing a Calgary art instructor who was fired after one of his students beheaded a chicken as part of a school project.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers has filed a grievance demanding the Alberta College of Art and Design reinstate Gordon Ferguson.

Ferguson, head of the school’s sculpture program, was fired last week.

The lobby group’s executive director, James Turk, says it’s unacceptable for a professor to lose his job because a student’s work was considered controversial.

The student killed the chicken with a knife, then plucked it and cleaned it in the school’s cafeteria.

Some students were so shocked they called police.