"It's sad were at a point in our culture that a rumor like this even needs to be addressed," said Blair Stenvick, the communications manager for the Portland-based nonprofit Basic Rights Oregon. 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. People who identify as cats using a litterbox in a hallway thats not good. According To WILX, Midland Public Schools was accused of installing litter boxes in the restrooms for students to use. Iowa Jan 9, 2022 #1 I refused to believe it the first time I was told this, but have been told by three different people, that I generally trust, that schools are putting kitty litter in their restrooms due to students identifying as cats. WARNING RANT!!! They identify as cats. Goddard claimed. 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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. Aug 26 2021. Superintendent debunks claims of litter boxes in schools for students who identify as cats, Intelligence agencies say they cant link adversaries to Havana syndrome, Cat, missing for 2 years, found nearly 1,600 miles away, police say, Ottumwa man accused of shooting sleeping wife with a crossbow pleads guilty, California board denies parole for RFK killer Sirhan Sirhan. Elevating feelings, personality traits and mental health disorders above reality and evidence-based science is dangerous and harmful to our society. Meshawn Maddock,theco-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, shared the unsubstantiated commenton Facebook. But according to Superintendent Mark Martin, a petition isn't needed. Nonbinary is when someone does not identify as either male or female. A grandmother of a student reported that a crew of kids dressed as cats has been hissing and scratching at others. That will then further arguments and attack us with things like you cant call people Mum and Dad, or the craziness this week we saw the Australian Breast Feeding Association come out and say it has to be called chestfeeding. Goddard said. The district's superintendent denied this claim, stating "Staff members are not encouraging or accommodating anyone behaving or identifying as a cat or any other animal". Just when I thought school couldn't get any weirder, it did today.". Journalist Leisa Goddard has told Sky News program Hardgrave that she has evidence of some high school students identifying as cats. 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. Send comments, questions and tips to her atnpate@statesmanjournal.comor 503-399-6745. At least 20 Republican politicians have claimed that schools are making accommodations for students who identify as cats . Another iteration appeared online on April 27 2022, as a graphic made up to resemble a memo advising educators at Kokomo High School about students wanting to be recognized as Otherkin people who identify as non-human. 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. Reading, writing, and paychecks. This is simply and emphatically not true, Burlau wrote. A SCHOOL in Michigan has bizarrely been accused by outraged parents of installing litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats and dogs. Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau said it got so bad that he had to send a letter to students and parents on Monday. Its absurd, and its mean-spirited, and it is absolutely not the focus we should be having right now, Cobb said. Whats a teacher worth? (@brutamerica . Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. COVID exodus: Where did 1 million public school students go? 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. The one that identifies as a dog has to be taken outside to use the (Source: KCCI), Melt Bar & Grilled closes 2 Ohio locations, Ohio Gov. 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. president, Jen Munson, that I warned people during the election about 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.. Clark's buzzer-beating three sends #6 Iowa past #2 Indiana 86-85. Litter box rumor control isnt one of them.. Rumors began to surface that these students were permitted to use litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate them,. Also a PR expert, Goddard was highlighting concerns about the next census and the push to include gender categories. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false. Iowa lawmakers are also considering a requirement to surveil teachers with cameras. 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. "There is, of course, absolutely no truth to this claim, in Salem or anywhere else. Follow her on Twitter@NataliePateGwin. Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. That is not healthy for anybody in a lot of capacities.. The fake memo states that litter boxes will be provided in some restrooms, and that Otherkin students will be provided 5 extra minutes between periods to allow free movement on all fours: In reality, the graphic was posted by a satirical website set up to resemble actual local announcements. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. The proposal triggered an outcry from conservative commenters who argued that the broader gender descriptors would make the information collected by the ABS less accurate, and in turn lead to poorer decision making by government. So, To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty. 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. Forget gender, kids now identify as cats! Now take this back to the ABS data, their collecting this which is then going to give them more of an argument, so that instead of 1,200 people identifying in this small minority, youre going to see this number rise because theyve got a greater selection criteria. The woman alleged that litter box use in schools was a national problem. 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. Im staying calm, but Im not happy about it, she said. As the Washington Post reported, Hansens claim was quickly recycled by the co-chair for Michigans Republican Party: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported on similar allegations as far back as October 2021. There continue to be tales of students identifying as cats with, well, tails and all. According to an email sent by the superintendent and shared with Local 5 by a district parent, that rumor "is simply and emphatically not true." Berlau said Tuesday in a note to parents in the western Iowa district. To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes. Manage Settings ! wrote Carroll resident Shelly Loew on Facebook, in Is the Damaged Russian Warship Moskva the Snake Island Ship. School lunch goes farm-to-table for some, Floridas rejection of Black history course stirs debate, Florida says AP class teaches critical race theory. What would that mean for kids? Cisgender refers to individuals who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. All rights reserved. Published: Feb. 11, 2022 at 1:39 PM PST. All rights reserved. Published: Feb. 11, 2022 at 1:39 PM PST. Loew did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. 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. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation program Media Watch aired an analysis of the piece, noting that it was an op-ed based on what the author, Kylie Lang, described as several unrelated sources, including one unidentified woman who claimed she had heard about these students at a dinner party. Her post elicited comments from a former Carroll school board We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals. In this case, administrators from the Public Schools Branch district in Prince Edward Island issued their own takedown of the furries rumor: For several months now, the Public Schools Branch has fielded calls, been sent emails and been pointed to numerous social media posts that make broad sweeping assertions regarding students who identify as cats. Staff members are not encouraging or accommodating anyone behaving We would have many that would say this is rooted in hate and transphobia and homophobia and that message needs to be clear, its not acceptable.. It could damage the student's future self-image and destroy ambitions.". 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. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The Iowa Standard has heard from a handful of parents across the state concerned about students identifying as "furries" at various schools throughout the state. A local publication, The Tennessee Holler, also reported on the post (which is no longer visible on Holladays Facebook page), adding that commenters debunked his allegation: UPDATE: Doc Holladay, the Williamson County School Board @WCSedu candidate who called for a librarians arrest, perpetuates the LIE that students are given litter boxes and identifying as cats, teachers punished for not meowing to them, (Commenters fact-checked him) pic.twitter.com/EqI1TECfqR, The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) April 12, 2022. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. "Sadly, the spread of hateful disinformation targeting queer and trans folks is nothing new, and these tactics make our schools and communities less safe," they said. Rumors claiming schools are putting litter boxes in restrooms for students who identify as cats have spread across the United States this year, and have now reached Salem. (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. I am really disturbed by that.. Rebecca Kleeman, a spokeswoman for Millard Public Schools, said she is unaware of any incidents involving furries or requests for litter boxes. The rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals. that some schools are installing them for children who identify as Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. "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. The ABS had made a recommendation that a greater number of gender descriptors to be provided in the next census. "Restroom facilities are available at all district facilities in compliance with state law," she added. And um, I am really disturbed by that.. All rights reserved. Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow sent a message to the school district to address the claim. Curriculum for African American Studies, No more nuggets? Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. Loew did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Klicken Sie auf Einstellungen verwalten um weitere Informationen zu erhalten und Ihre Einstellungen zu verwalten. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. 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. "Sprague High School, or any Salem-Keizer school,do nothave litter boxes for use as restroom facilities," Emily Hicks, a spokeswoman for the district, said. MIDLAND, Mich. (WILX/Gray News) A superintendent in Michigan is trying to clear up any misconceptions or rumors about a conspiracy theory regarding students who identify as cats.. I iowa students identifying as cats school could n't get any weirder, it did today ``! Rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate them, to litter. Using a litterbox in a hallway thats not good a recommendation that a greater number of gender descriptors to tales. 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