Follow her on Twitter@NataliePateGwin. He did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Send comments, questions and tips to her atnpate@statesmanjournal.comor 503-399-6745. Im staying calm, but Im not happy about it, she said. I've got to rant for a minute," the teacher says ina short TikTok video. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Click here to download. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. TikTok False: The claim is. 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. 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. that some schools are installing them for children who identify as 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. Staff members are not encouraging or accommodating anyone behaving Other versions of this claim have been spotted in Australian news outlets; as the TV station 6 News Australia reported, a newspaper owned by the right-wing Murdoch family which also owns Fox News in the U.S. published a story pushing the idea that cat-identifying students at a Brisbane school had cut holes in their uniforms to accomodate a tail.. "This baseless rumor is an attempt to drum up controversy in an area where there should be none all students deserve to feel safe and respected at school. Indeed, schools in other states have been forced to grapple with the perplexing notions. How an urban myth about litter boxes in schools became a GOP talking point. 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. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. ", "It implies to the student that this type of behavior is completely acceptable and normal," they wrote in the complaint to Salem-Keizer. Also a PR expert, Goddard was highlighting concerns about the next census and the push to include gender categories. 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. He said the costumes violate the school dress code: Reporting from USA Today contributed to this story. People who identify as cats using a litterbox in a hallway thats not good. or identifying as a cat or any other animal, Superintendent Casey 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.. claimed that Des Moines has students who say they are a dog and a It is very unfortunate that this rumor has been spread over the last We have also talked with students from multiple districts who confirm this is actually a real thing. 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. "The students are told they can't wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. "Let's instead focus on real issues impacting Oregon youth.". 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. (@brutamerica . (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. 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. 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. Furries are bullied at almost twice the rates of. a now-deleted Monday post of which Iowa Capital Dispatch obtained Media Watch host Paul Barry also pointed out that Lang herself wrote that the school had not been made aware of any students identifying as cats. 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. Opponents said they believed the main purpose of the book was "to promote various agendas" related to the LGBTQ community in an attempt to "make it more acceptable in the mainstream. Concerns related to student matters should be addressed at the school level. Authorised by Kirralie Smith, Gender Awareness Australia Limited, Melbourne VICABN 53 629 535 271. 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. Forget gender, kids now identify as cats! Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau said it got so bad that he had to send a letter to students and parents on Monday. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern. "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. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. Additionally, this summer, a group of parents and community members unsuccessfully pushedfor the removal of "Gender Queer: A Memoir," a graphic novel by Maia Kobabe that discusses topics such as asexuality and being nonbinary, from Salem-Keizer high school libraries. Transgender people still face barriers to competent health care. 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 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. Salem-Keizer in Februaryintroduced several new policieswith the goal of increasing the "safety, wellbeing, education and success" of transgender or nonbinary students. ", Just gonna leave this here: pic.twitter.com/drn6jUgCXf, Jon Kipper (@jonnykip21) March 28, 2022. Midland Superintendent Michael Sharrowrejected the claim outright in an email sent Jan. 20 to parents, staff and community members. School accused of installing litter boxes for students who identify as cats hits back after parents' outrage. The census is for collecting accurate data that will inform public policy in areas of health, education, welfare and planning. Wow. Binary spokeswoman, Kirralie Smith, said social engineering is attempting to change the fabric of society. Just when I thought school couldn't get any weirder, it did today.". Kim Reynolds and some GOP lawmakers are trying again to funnel a significant share of education dollars to private and religious schools. "Okay, okay. The parent goes on to suggest this is part of a larger "agenda" nationwide. Depending on the study, we find more than 70 per cent of furries identify as LGBTQ+ and more than 25 per cent are gender-identity diverse. Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau said it got so bad that he had to send a letter to students and parents on Monday. 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. Tennessee is talking about rejecting federal education funding. Iowa State Education Association Director Mary Jane Cobb said the litter box rumors are a right-wing attempt to mock LGBTQ+ restroom equality. president, Jen Munson, that I warned people during the election about (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. "Two-spirit" is a term used by some Native Americans to describe community members who identify with a third gender or other gender variants. 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. His 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. "Restroom facilities are available at all district facilities in compliance with state law," she added. 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". And what about those cat-identifying students in Brisbane? Not everyone supported the policy changes, with a group protesting them outside district offices in April. Similar "if we allow this, what's next?" It doesn't make sense," she added. I am really disturbed by that.. It comes by fact of whats being taught in classrooms and whats being accepted in schools. Let me be clear in this communication: There is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. 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. Well, like The Courier-Mail, we have been unable to find any. [56] [57] According To WILX, Midland Public Schools was accused of installing litter boxes in the restrooms for students to use. Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. New data sheds some light. (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. "It could lead to a life of pornography addiction and deviant behavior. 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. All rights reserved. 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 at a . 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. Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. 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 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. Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. Cisgender refers to individuals who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. School District, its superintendent stressed, despite internet rumors 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. 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. 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. Iowa lawmakers are also considering a requirement to surveil teachers with cameras. Join AllSides to read, share Among the policies is one stating students, staff and visitors may use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. Loew did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Back to school: Oregon trans student's advice to LGBTQ youth. The rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals. The New York Times, USA TODAY, Politifact, Reuters and Snopes, among other publications, wrote articles confirming the claims were unfounded. "I'm a sub, and the most important we do is take roll, so the school gets paid. Thats not good. arguments have been used throughout history, such as comparing interracial and homosexual relationships to bestiality and pedophilia. Clark's buzzer-beating three sends #6 Iowa past #2 Indiana 86-85. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town in their state identified 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. Carroll School District. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false. (For my illustrated video commentary on this, go here .) falcon. This group of fussy felines has apparently made life difficult for this grandmother's grandchildren. District officials confirmed to the Statesman Journal that the claims are categorically false. 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