Allegations of Sunny Hills Animal Mutilations Probed : Schools: Students played baseball with dead chickens, tortured pigeons and squirrels, group says. District will investigate.

FULLERTON —  Officials of the Fullerton Union Joint High School District said Monday that they plan to launch an independent investigation into allegations that animals were mutilated at Sunny Hills High School during the 1993-94 school year.

The allegations are being made by a group of parents who say that at least three students in the school’s agriculture program saw animals being mutilated. The alleged incidents include students playing baseball with dead chickens, torturing pigeons and disemboweling squirrels.

“We will absolutely be looking at every aspect of these allegations,” said Ron Anderson, assistant to district Supt. J. Kenneth Jones.

Last month, the Committee of Concerned Citizens parents group submitted an anonymous, 21-page report to school board members, which outlined the alleged incidents.

One parent who said she witnessed some of the alleged incidents contended her concerns were brushed aside when she complained to Principal Loring Davies and teacher Chris Maddalena.

Maddalena said last week that the allegations are untrue.

Anderson said the district would not release any details about the investigation until next week.

However, he said, no district official or employee would be involved in the investigation.

“We are in the process of making the arrangements, and we anticipate that it will involve two people involved in agriculture at a professional level,” Anderson said. “They will be taking a look at acceptable practices and everything else to make sure that this is a complete investigation and that the allegations are fully addressed.”

Anderson would not say who would be doing the work, how long it was expected to take, or if those conducting the investigation would be paid.