students identify as cats

He said the costumes violate the school dress code: "A small number of Meade County High School students have violated the dress code policy during the early part of the school year. Click here to sign up for our fact-check text chat, Communication Regarding False Accusation Made at December MPS Board of Education Meeting, Litter Boxes for Students Who Identify as Furries? Follow us on Facebook! hurricane shannon 1936. . Every school district that has been named by those 20 politicians said either to NBC News or in public statements that these claims are untrue. Then, there was the news of Lia Thomas, the male transgender swimmer who competed for the female swimming team at the University of Pennsylvania. During a speech at a rally in Pennsylvania in September last year Greene repeated false assertions that schools in the state were lowering tables and putting out litter boxes for who students who identified as furries or cats. Everyone should be sympathetic to her plight, but people should not be enabling her delusions. Just wondering, if you identify yourself as a cat, If you are sick do you see a doctor or a veterenarian? Accountability is not a crime.. It has even been parroted by former QAnon supporter and Republican politician Marjorie Taylor Greene. Im just embarrassed by what this has gotten to," she said. Roberts said that in her research career, shes never heard of or seen an instance of a furry wanting a litter box. The wave of misinformation reflects discontent among many conservatives around how the concepts and politics of gender identity are rapidly shifting. I was told by a teacher friend in Georgia that this is true in her state as well. Catalina Lauf, a Republican congressional nominee in Illinois, tweeted this month that schoolchildren were using litter boxes in her state. USA TODAY reached out to Maddock and others who shared theclaim on social media for comment. 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 photos are from 2016 and show a Norweigan adult who is capable of speaking, not a non-verbal, school-aged child. Call in 401-766-1380.John DePetro The Independent Man. While Pesta claims that this woman was fired, she was not fired. To a person not steeped in the culture war battles over gender identity that have engulfed school districts nationwide, its the kind of claim that would sound bizarre and confusing and, from high-profile GOP members, authoritative. Meade County Schools will not discuss individual student discipline due to privacy laws.". "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. Ultimately, when you allow people to transition or identify as something they are not, by enabling these mental health issues instead of trying to resolve them, the natural progression is for people to start identifying legitimately as other things, such as cats. You cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. She said the issue gained attention on social media once people started sharing photos and videos of the feline costumes and behavior, "I started getting videos and messages from kids, and I said, 'Ok, Im going to post this so parents know whats going on.'". Do your research. Some things in life, like cats, are too good to be muddied by Americas toxic ideological wars. Some politicians issued warnings about children acting as cats during debates regarding school policies related to transgender and nonbinary youth. But this story is real. I understand WHY my daughter home schooled our grandchildren.". Why did people believe them? IE 11 is not supported. HP10 9TY. And it demonstrates how quickly some elements of truth can be twisted and mashed up with fully debunked assertions to create a viral narrative amplified by prominent politicians, as well as commentators with large audiences. There are websites that claim there is a catgender movement, but that is a different thing. The litter boxes in schools hoax (also called the litter box canard) is a false rumor alleging that certain North American schools provide litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the furry or otherkin subcultures. Excuse me? The claim: A Michigan school put litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats A video of a central Michigan school board meeting went national in mid-January after a parent. Ben Goggin is the deputy editor for technology at NBC News Digital. Whos doing it? And this little girl in the very front row says, You have to meow back at him; he identifies as a cat. Are you kidding me?, The student stormed out of the classroom when she laughed at him, she said, and the schools administration fired her: They said We no longer need your services if you cant identify with all the children in the classroom.'. Pain In The Bud, FurryGate: Rogan, Boebert, Greene Drag Cats Into Politics With Claims Of Litter Boxes In Schools Pain In The Bud. At some point, even the wokest of the woke have to see the calamitous problems they have created. Roberts also noted that the vast majority of furries characters are wild or mythical animals, who wouldnt use a litter box in the first place. Skibbereen Community College bosses said they contacted authorities over crazy claims. At least 20 conservative candidates and elected officials have claimed this year that K-12 schools are placing litter boxes on campus or making other accommodations for students who identify as cats, according to an NBC News review of public statements. In Kentucky earlier this school year, officials were perplexed by a group of middle school students who dressed and acted like cats, apparently after accepting a social media challenge, according to a report by news station WLWT. Rumors began to surface that these students were permitted to use litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate them, but the districts superintendent debunked such stories. Tags: john depetro north kingstown rhode island Please Share This The origin of the, ahem, furfluffle can be traced back to a Dec. 20 school board meeting. Listen weekdays 11:00-2:00 pm. There is a real subculture of people known as furries, a community of children and adults who roleplay as anthropomorphized animal characters. Did a Michigan School District Install Litter Boxes in Bathrooms? Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/litter-boxes-bathrooms/. students identifying as cats Midland Public Schools via YouTube, Dec. 21, 2021. do koalas have poisonous claws. The "furry protocol" rumor is the newest wrinkle in a series of false claims concerning absurd behavior in schools. Olivia, 16, from California, said shes been part of the furry community for six years. "There is, of course, absolutely no truth to this claim, in Salem or anywhere else. "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. Regarding the Norwegian woman, that one startled me as I have a cat named Nano. Opposing public figures is an emergency these days. someone pointed out. Weve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country. Where did you get your info. For foreign students. Thank you for supporting our journalism. It is long past time to start rejecting this nonsense. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town identified as cats. On the October 11 episode of his Joe Rogan Experience Spotify podcast, Rogan claimed that a school "had to install a litter box in the girls room because there is a girl who's a furry, who . As he argued for the resolution in a public meeting, Shea said, Weve literally got kids who think theyre cats and dogs using litter boxes in classrooms. Shea did not respond to requests for comment. A private school in Australia is reportedly supporting a young "non-verbal" student identifying as a cat. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Nonbinary is when someone does not identify as either male or female. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Thankfully for our furry friends, smaller brains don't necessarily correlate to lower intelligence. Sorry, no feline accomadations in the school. "Let me be clear there is no truth whatsoever tothis false statement/accusation! 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 students in school bathrooms. They meow and they bark and they interact with their teachers in this fashion, Bostelman said during legislative debate. The conversation will go back to what it should be about people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Last January, the superintendent of Midland Public Schools in Michigan was forced to address community members on Facebook after the rumour took hold locally. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. The Waunakee Community School District does not have protocols for furries, nor do we have an issue with disruptions in our school and classrooms.. The postfrom Peggy Hubbard, who lost a recentIllinois Republican U.S. Senate primary, implies a connection to a U.S. school district, but the pictures don't show an American public school student or anything recent. Its a lot easier to weather calls for cancellation when youve been around for 20 years, youve made billions for your parent company and you have a contract that keeps you on TV for years yet. This thing has gotten out of control with politicians just wanting to have a talking point, said John McDonald, former director of campus safety at Jefferson County schools, whos now a school security consultant. So thats why weve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. Also a PR expert, Goddard was highlighting concerns about the next census and the push to include gender categories. The unnamed teenage girl, who is in Year 8, is reportedly allowed to. I dont understand why these kids are acting so un-human and not happy with themselves, she said. child/dog. But the vast majority of them still identify as humans, while sometimes adopting an animal-like persona and engaging in short-term roleplay, according to furries and experts, one of whom noted that there are no litter boxes at furry conventions. Maddock did not respond to requests for comment. oh, dont forget to stock up on cat food as human food isnt really good for them. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. Of local interest, Hansen insisted, are policies that she claims accommodate students who identify as furries, or cats and dogs. "The students are told they cant wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. Description. website:https://t.co/MPw6FiMrm1. A video of Wisconsin talk radio host Vicki McKenna's appearance on the Dr. Duke Show, a podcast hosted by Dr. Duke Pesta, racked up more than 100,000 views as it circulated on social media: There's no truth to this rumor. Brogan, Dylan. The trend toward acting like a cat or dog is real, even if the Midland school litter box is the hoax du jour. Be a serious parent or parents. Do they perform a naked fat test on an animal? Meshawn Maddock,theco-chair of the state Republican Party, shared the unsubstantiated comment on Facebook. But this post tells a story that simply didn't happen. 2022. The rumor about litter boxes gained enough traction that it was even mentioned during a March 2022 debate between state lawmakers in Nebraska. These rumors put us at risk of being hurt or bullied.. I was also walking down the hallway three weeks ago when a boy wearing dog ears barked at me and my friend as we passed, she said, adding the boy left the school building on all fours. Not So, Says School Official, Midland Public Schools December 2021 Board of Education Meeting, Students identifying as furries using litter boxes? Andy Cross / Denver Post via Getty Images. Psychologists say furries arent the deviants theyre sometimes represented to be. Top image: A 20-year-old Norwegian woman who identifies as a cat. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Really. 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. The school district called that blogs story completely inaccurate and not something it would permit. The fandom is centered around an interest in anthropomorphism, or human characteristics given to animals, according to Sharon Roberts, co-founder of a furry research group called Furscience. These situations have been addressed consistently by administration and the dress code policy will continue to be implemented with fidelity. As he stated in his message, the board meeting took place on Dec. 20, 2021, and did not circulate widely until mid-January. I think I will be cat all my life.. She said when she has worn part of her fur suit to school, I dont act like an animal, or think that I am one.. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Please! These situations have been addressed consistently by administration and the dress code policy will continue to be implemented with fidelity. In April 2022, a false rumor about a school district in Wisconsin implementing a set of "furry protocols" in order to deal with a rash of students who were "identifying as cats" was presented as genuine news on a conservative podcast. USA TODAY reached out to Hansen for comment. Dayna, 15, who lives in Canada, said she brings a mask and tail to school every day but only wears them during lunch and keeps them in her bag during class. Meanwhile on TikTok, one video claiming kids are now requesting litter boxes at school collected 3 million views on the platform. '"The grandmother said a petition to end the practice was created by students and has more than 1,000 signatures. Michigan Republican Party, archived Jan. 24. Then I hear meow! Im like, Okay, whats up with that? Among the policies is one stating students, staff and visitors may use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. 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. These people will hiss at you or scratch at you if they dont like something youre doing. At a luncheon for Republican women in Mesa County, Colorado, last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., warned that educators are putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats.. Happy birthday to Nano, and hopefully hell have many more! I get to the third row and I hear this meow! Uhhh, excuse me? In a follow-up video the teacher admitted she made up the story to create awareness of what kids are going through at school. She didnt elaborate, so its not clear if she was criticizing school policies for allowing students to identify as different genders or arguing that kids needs arent accommodated. The story about the fired substitute also had its roots in an online video, with a woman who says shes a teacher relating the story via TikTok. How were you or your family members conceived?! AM 1380 / 99.9 FM WNRI. Rand Paul was vindicated this week regarding COVID. The rumour alleged that pupils at Banff Academy were identifying as cats (Image: PA) A SCOTTISH secondary school has had to deny reports that some of its pupils were identifying as cats and defecating on the floor after school officials refused to provide a litterbox. No teachers have come forward to talk about the supposed protocols, and no students or parents have corroborated any of these claims. The schools superintendent, Michael Sharrow, was forced to do damage control with a public statement, telling parents its a source of disappointment that I felt the necessity to communicate this message to you., There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation, Sharrow wrote. Oh, you are a human? A video of a central Michigan school board meeting went national in mid-January after aparent claimed that a"nefarious" agendahad taken hold of public schools in her county. A video of a central Michigan school board meeting. After we confirmed North Kingstown is allowing students to identify as cats, we have now learned another school district is allowing a student to identify as a dog.The school is trying to deal with a student who dresses as a dog, lays on the floor, eats food out of a bowl on the floor and barks and growls at other students. ! Website development by. In a clip from 'What is a Woman?', a documentary by right-wing commentator Matt Walsh, interviewee Sara Stockton, a family therapist based in New York, says schoolchildren are self-identifying as. There are no photos or videos documenting such behavior. Randy Guttenberg, thesuperintendent of the Waunakee school district, told the Wisconsin news outlet Isthmus.com: I am aware of the misinformation that is circulating on social media. Ben Collins covers disinformation, extremism and the internet for NBC News. Editors' Code of Practice. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The false claim that children who identify as cats are using litter boxes in school bathrooms has spread across the internet since at least December, when a member of the public brought it up. Its like that show and South Park are sort of grandfathered in and get away with things due to their success, but new shows wouldnt be allowed near some of these topics with a 10-foot pole. go to the park or an animal shelter and maybe youll be adopted! On Jan. 20, Meshawn Maddock, the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, advanced the rumor, posting on Facebook that Kids who identify as furries get a litter box in the school bathroom, with a link to a parent activist group. A substitute teacher uploaded a video to TikTok claiming she was asked to "meow" at a student who identified as a cat. For those of us who subscribe to neither ideology, the whole thing is another sad example of the polarization that is destroying the US, the same divisive talk amplified by platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The spread of false rumors about students identifying as cats and using litter boxes has been laughed off by many but is a point of concern for others. McHugh deemed the current treatment of transgender children reckless and irresponsible. He also argued against allowing children to transition and equated the process to frontal lobotomies. He also stated that there would be negative long-term consequences of allowing children hormonal treatment and transitioning. I dont go out wearing tail, gloves, ears, or fursuit heads on any normal day, she said in an email. If we do encounter a verifiable story about a school district doing that, Ill absolutely write about it. Furthermore, there's no evidence that any schools in Michigan installed litterboxes for their students. READ MORE:Isla Bryson: Why are trans criminals put in Scottish women's prisons? Fact Check: Was Teacher Fired for Not Meowing Back at Student Who Identifies as Cat? Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2022, https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-was-teacher-fired-not-meowing-back-student-who-identifies-cat-1672597. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Why would you attack our most vulnerable to get your point across, especially since the point is baseless?. theco-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Oregon trans student's advice to LGBTQ youth, Salem-Keizer: Claims of litter boxes in school restrooms are false. The woman, who uses the handle @crazynamebridgetmichael, said she was taking attendance when a student responded to his name with feline vocalizations. We parents arent sure what our schools are up to, she wrote in an email, according to the Times. The buckets also contain candy for diabetic students, a map of the school, flashlights, wet wipes and first aid items. Roughly three in four are under the age of 25, the group writes. The rumour was also spread by popular US podcaster Joe Rogan. And now schools are wanting to put litter boxes in the schools for these children to use. Other students felt threatened by the furries, who would hiss at you and scratch at you if they dont like something youre doing, the report said. Follow, Investigative Radio host/ On-Scene Facebook Live stream. room for rent in reykjavik long term. Joseph Gunderson. These things just made me feel uncomfortable and so unnecessary as to why theyre barking at me, and its very distracting during school days.". In a word, Sharrow told community members that if it sounds too wacky to be true, it probably is. This event was sponsored by No Left Turn In Education, a group Media Matters describes as an anti-critical race theory group, and presented by the FreedomProject Academy, an online academy founded by the right-wing political advocacy group the John Birch Society. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. The spread of rumors about litter boxes has grown alongside other extreme and baseless rhetoric accusing LGBTQ people and educators of grooming children through lessons and policies on gender and sexuality. The story was picked up by several widely-read sites, included in Tucker Carlsons daily newsletter, and reshared on prominent Twitter accounts in addition to going viral on Facebook. Sign up now to get the Washington Examiners breaking news and timely commentary delivered right to your inbox. Ive studied more than 40,000 furries from 70 different countries over a decade, she said. As if to prove the superintendents point, commenters piled on, asking among other questions why the superintendent didnt address the issue of furries in schools. (LogOut/ A Cork school has notified gardai - over bogus claims that a student has decided to identify as a cat. School provides litterbox for students who identify as cats? No Left Turn in Education, a Leading Anti-Critical Race Theory Group, Frequently Pushes Toxic Rhetoric in Media. Media Matters for America, https://www.mediamatters.org/education/no-left-turn-education-leading-anti-critical-race-theory-group-frequently-pushes-toxic. "Apparently, from what I understand, theyre called 'furries,'" the grandmother, who asked to remain anonymous, told WLKY. 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. I start looking on the ground, through the fourth roweverythings good. The claim that a Wisconsin school district implemented furry protocols in order to deal with a wave of students identifying as cats is based almost entirely on one alleged email said to have. forbidding transgender students from using the bathroom of their acquired gender. A Gannett Company. Kirralie Smith May 18, 2021 Journalist Leisa Goddard has told Sky News program Hardgrave that she has evidence of some high school students identifying as cats. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem-Keizer: Claims of litter boxes in school restrooms are false. She did not elaborate on what happened afterward but . No, Furries Dont Get Litter Boxes in School Bathrooms. Poynter, 8 Mar. A SCOTTISH secondary school has had to deny reports that some of its pupils were identifying as cats and defecating on the floor after school officials refused to provide a litterbox. "I heard that at least one of our schools, in our town, has, in one of the unisex bathrooms, a litter box for the kids that identify as cats I am really upset, as a parent, that my child is put in an environment like that.". 2022. The photos show a Norweigan adult who claimed to be acat in 2016. Natalie Pate covers education for the Statesman Journal. 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. In this divisive/contentious world in which we currently find ourselves, I ask that if you hear wild accusations that dont sound like something in which your Midland Public Schools Board of Education, Administration, District would be part, take a moment to send an MPSConnect message to me, he wrote, providing the MPSConnect link.

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