who consider themselves cats is apparently rooted in an increasingly of the swirling claims but said: We have real education issues to deal Cisgender refers to individuals who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. Let me be clear in this communication: There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation. with here. 5:55 Rumours about litter boxes in schools for students identifying as cats are false, Norbert Carpenter tells CBC News: Compass host Steve Bruce Litter boxes will not be put in schools on. There are no litter boxes in the restrooms of the Carroll Community School District, its superintendent stressed, despite internet rumors that some schools are installing them for children who identify as cats. It also directs schools to ensure that gender-neutral, single-occupant bathrooms are accessible to anyone. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. LOUISVILLE, Ky. The Meade County School district is dealing with an unusual situation: a group of high school students is attending school acting like and dressing as cats. Rumors began to surface that these students were permitted to use litter boxes in bathrooms to. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. (Source: KCCI), Colfax man accused of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, Missing endangered person alert issued for man missing from Sheldon, Authorities identify person dead after single-vehicle rollover crash in Polk County, Intelligence agencies say they cant link adversaries to Havana syndrome, Cat, missing for 2 years, found nearly 1,600 miles away, police say, California board denies parole for RFK killer Sirhan Sirhan. Rebecca Kleeman, a spokeswoman for Millard Public Schools, said she is unaware of any incidents involving furries or requests for litter boxes. The woman alleged that litter box use in schools was a national problem. "The students are told they can't wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. Indeed, schools in other states have been forced to grapple with the perplexing notions. (KCCI) - A school district in Iowa has been hit with rumors saying that students who identify as cats are allowed to use litter boxes in the school restrooms. Natalie Pate covers education for the Statesman Journal. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town in their state identified as cats. Forget gender, kids now identify as cats! The Nebraska Examiner further reported that both Bostelman and another state senator, Steve Halloran, had been fed rumors about student furries, prompting a quick debunking from educators: This is ridiculous, said Dr. Josh Fields, the superintendent of the Seward Public Schools. several weeks.. arguments have been used throughout history, such as comparing interracial and homosexual relationships to bestiality and pedophilia. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false. [56] [57] But unlike his American counterparts thus far, PSB district director Norbert Carpenter more forcefully described the nature of this type of rhetoric. And what about those cat-identifying students in Brisbane? Furries are bullied at almost twice the rates of. Iowa State Education Association Director Mary Jane Cobb said the litter box rumors are a right-wing attempt to mock LGBTQ+ restroom equality. COVID exodus: Where did 1 million public school students go? AllSides members can bookmark any article and read it later. bathroom by a teacher.., she wrote, and the falcon screeches up and Also a PR expert, Goddard was highlighting concerns about the next census and the push to include gender categories. Litter box rumor control isnt one of them.. It started when a video of a central Michigan school board meetingwent viral in mid-January after aparent claimed a"nefarious" agendahad taken hold of public schools in her county. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Journalist Leisa Goddard has told Sky News program Hardgrave that she has evidence of some high school students identifying as cats. School accused of installing litter boxes for students who identify as cats hits back after parents' outrage. Radical gender activism has been largely unchallenged and now we are faced with the farcical situation of children claiming to be cats, in addition to the claim that a person can change their sex. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Amid the latest wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation around the United States, right-wing candidates and social media boards are pushing a separate type of disinformation to gin up concerns that local students are identifying as cats.. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. There continue to be tales of students identifying as cats with, well, tails and all. Litter box rumor control isnt one of them.. LGBTQ2SIA+ is the acronym used by Basic Rights Oregon and other advocacy groups to describe those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, two-spirit, intersexual, asexual and/or other varying genders and sexualities. Yet it seems the rumor has reached Oregon, with recent gossip asserting Salem-Keizer Public Schools officials approved a student's request to self-identify as a cat and allowed litter boxes in the restrooms of Sprague High School. Superintendent denies rumors of litter boxes in restrooms for students who identify as cats, Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau denied the litter box rumors in a letter to students and parents. A woman who was working as a substitute teacher posted a video to social media alleging she was fired by school officials for not "identifying with" a student who "identifies as a cat" after she refused to meow back at the child in class. "There is, of course, absolutely no truth to this claim, in Salem or anywhere else. A hair-raising group of youth are apparently terrorizing a Meade County high school. The latest notion that schools would supply litter boxes for students CARROLL, Iowa The Carroll Community School District recently had to put an end to a rumor that it had placed litter box in bathrooms to accommodate student who identify as animals. MEADE COUNTY, Ky. The Meade County School district is dealing with an unusual situation: a group of high school students is attending school acting like and dressing as cats. His exasperated note came amid a heightened scrutiny of schools across the nation, where curriculum about race is being questioned and the recommendations of certain books might lead to criminal prosecution. Whether they see relief depends on Supreme Court decision. (For my illustrated video commentary on this, go here .) The latest notion that schools would supply litter boxes for students who consider themselves cats is apparently rooted in an increasingly tolerant student culture for those that openly question their sexual identities and gender preferences. It probably wont pass, but it serves a larger purpose of making Iowa parents distrust and fear public schools at a time when Gov. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. Published: Feb. 11, 2022 at 1:39 PM PST. As is often the case with right-wing disinformation, Holladays outburst was not unique in either concept or outcome; he published his post less than a month after a Nebraska lawmaker, state Sen. Bruce Bostelman, vowed to colleagues to investigate wanting to put litter boxes in the schools for students who were barking and meowing during school hours: A floor speech from Nebraska State Senator Bruce Bostelman that "is about something called furries. "I realized. Some who have believed the false rumors continue to cite them as an example of school districts going too far with so-called identity politics, drawing a connection between the litter box claims to schools allowing transgender students to use the restroom of their choice. Loew did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. In Michigan, a school superintendent also sent an email to parents to say the claim was false, after a parent stated it. Also a PR expert, Goddard was highlighting concerns about the next census and the push to include gender categories. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Well, like The Courier-Mail, we have been unable to find any. pic.twitter.com/UsP22Py1IF, Emily R. West (@emwest22) April 12, 2022. cats. Concerns related to student matters should be addressed at the school level. I heard that at least one of our schools in our town has a, in one of the unisex bathrooms, a litter box for the kids that identify as cats. Staff members are not encouraging or accommodating anyone behaving Here's what's really in the course, DeSantis administration rejects inclusion of AP African American Studies class in Florida high schools, Wealth looms big as ever in post-scandal college admissions, ChatGPT banned from New York City public schools devices and networks, Hillary Clinton joins Columbia University as a professor and fellow in global affairs, Rick Singer, mastermind of the "Varsity Blues" college cheating scandal, sentenced to 3.5 years in prison, DeSantiss office says he will boycott NBC, MSNBC over Andrea Mitchell question on Black history, Governors call for higher teacher salaries amid continued hiring struggles in schools. So 2 middle school kids are allowed to identify as cats The one that identifies as a dog has to be taken outside to use the Yet it seems the rumor has reached Oregon, with recent gossip asserting Salem-Keizer Public Schools officials approved a student's request to self-identify as a cat and allowed litter boxes. But it is important to recognize that the claim comes from a place of deep fear-mongering about creating LGBTQ2SIA+ inclusive spaces in our schools.". "The Oregon Department of Education has had trans-inclusive policies in place for years now, and no harm has come to cisgender or transgender students as a result of those policies," Stenvick said. Her post elicited comments from a former Carroll school board president, Jen Munson, that I warned people during the election about this type of stuff and from an area resident, Tristan Hinners, who claimed that Des Moines has students who say they are a dog and a falcon. In a recent example, reporter Emily R. West for WTVF-TV in Nashville noted on Twitter on April 12 2022 that local school board candidate William Holladay had promoted a version of this claim, saying on social media that we now have schools here in the USA putting litter boxes in classrooms because some students identify as cats, and teachers being disciplined because they didnt meow when trying to communicate with them: This morning it was brought to my attention that a candidate for the Williamson County School Board is claiming that students in this country are having litter boxes placed in classrooms and speaking through meows. By Erica Rucker. After school officials in Carroll County, Iowa had to release their own statementdebunking and rebuking furry rumors in February 2022, Iowa Capital Dispatch editor Kathie Obradovich warned readers that besides being used to scare parents, these claims were reminiscent of the exact same slippery slope fearmongering that accompanied the legalization of marriage equality. Manage Settings Superintendent denies rumors of litter boxes in restrooms for students who identify as cats, Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau denied the litter box rumors in a letter to students and parents. "Staff members are not encouraging or accommodating anyone behaving or identifying as a cat or any other animal," Superintendent Casey Berlau said Tuesday in a note to parents in the western. Inthe Dec. 21, 2021, YouTube video, which now has more than 91,000 views, a woman said during the Midland Public Schools board meeting that she was told there wasa litter box in the bathroom of at least one local school for students who self-identify as cat "furries" people who adopt and identify with an anthropomorphized animal persona, often within online or local communities of furries. Copyright 2023 Hays Post - Powered byEagle Radio, Get the offical app! The same story has popped up at a few school districts across the country, starting with Midland Public Schools in Michigan in December after a parent brought up concerns about litter boxes in restrooms at a school board meeting. Update 8/23/2022, 2:44 p.m. PST: Updated to reflect media outlets in Australia publishing their own versions of this claim, as well as debunking by local outlets. A Michigan school superintendent debunked the rumor after a video from a December school board meeting resurfaced in which a speaker airs concerns about students who "identify as cats." Lisa. We have also talked with students from multiple districts who confirm this is actually a real thing. This group of fussy felines has apparently made life difficult for this grandmother's grandchildren. It is very unfortunate that this rumor has been spread over the last several weeks.. Rep. @78RepLittleton (R-Dickson) and Sen. @janicebowlingtn (R-Tullahoma) asked about the growing crisis of furries being allowed to use litter boxes in the classroom. Two curious stories relating to cats have been circulating online this week: In the first story, a substitute teacher claims she was fired because she refused to meow back to a student who "identifies as a cat," while parents in a Michigan school district were infuriated by a rumor that the district was providing litter boxes to cat-identified It is such a source of disappointment that I felt the necessity to communicate this message to you.. I pointed out last week that we not only have men who identify as women (and vice versa), but we have whites who identify as blacks and human beings who identify as animals, including cats, dogs, parrots, and even mythical dragons. Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false a! 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