Three unnamed sources with second- or third-hand knowledge and no photos, no videos, or first-hand testimony to back up the claims, Barry said, adding that the newspaper cited the video of Hansens testimony in Michigan to back up its story without disclosing that Hansens narrative had been debunked. "It is such a source of disappointment that I felt the necessity to communicate this message to you.". 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. (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. Among the policies is one stating students, staff and visitors may use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. In Michigan, a school superintendent also sent an email to parents to say the claim was false, after a parent stated it. Chicago mayoral candidates promise to raise wages for early childhood educators, but differ on how to do it. Forget gender, kids now identify as cats! Thats not good. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town in their state identified as cats. 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. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false. 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. Somehow, it always comes back to money.. It also directs schools to ensure that gender-neutral, single-occupant bathrooms are accessible to anyone. Its absurd, and its mean-spirited, and it is absolutely not the focus we should be having right now, Cobb said. Federal COVID relief aid to schools will dry up soon. president, Jen Munson, that I warned people during the election about Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. Just when I thought school couldn't get any weirder, it did today.". 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. 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. 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. Send comments, questions and tips to her atnpate@statesmanjournal.comor 503-399-6745. this type of stuff and from an area resident, Tristan Hinners, who According to the U.S. Trans Survey, conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality, a third of trans people have faced discrimination from a health care provider. All rights reserved. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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. Cisgender refers to individuals who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. 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. They identify as cats. Goddard claimed. CARROLL, Iowa There are no litter boxes in the restrooms of the Carroll Community Published: Feb. 11, 2022 at 1:39 PM PST. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Save this article by becoming a member today! And what about those cat-identifying students in Brisbane? 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. (@brutamerica . "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. "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. (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. 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.. The Public Schools Branch supports all students and their personal expressions, however, such conjecture is not helpful and contravenes our Safe and Caring Learning Environment Policy. pic.twitter.com/qQAnmjQH2t, Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) September 28, 2022. So 2 middle school kids are allowed to identify as cats and go to school? COVID school closures cost children one-third of a years learning, White House approves 16 million people for contested student loan forgiveness plan. 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. According To WILX, Midland Public Schools was accused of installing litter boxes in the restrooms for students to use. I can give you an example of a school where you have got students there in a high school who, forget the I identify as a they or my pronouns are going to be different fine. Similar "if we allow this, what's next?" There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools," he wrote. Canada settles residential schools lawsuit for $2.8bn, Public Schools Lost More Than One Million Students During Pandemic, Three Bipartisan Higher Education Reform Ideas For The New Congress, Higher Education Sees Significant Increases In New Federal Funding Bill, Supreme Court reviews student loan debt handout plan: How it may impact you, No, the HEROES Act Doesn't Let Biden Forgive Student Loans, Free Speech Group Calls Out 10 Censorship-Prone Colleges To Avoid, 6-year-old who shot Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner once choked another teacher, The Truth behind the Great Florida Classroom Library Freak-Out, DeSantis Versus the Left-Wing Educrats, Again, Flexible Homeschooling Enters the Mainstream, Abigail Zwerner texted family about armed student before getting shot by 6-year-old. 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. down the hallways., Phil Roeder, a spokesperson for Des Moines Public Schools, is aware 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. As WTVF-TV reporter Phil Williams noted on Twitter, the false issue also surfaced during a September 27 2022 meeting of the Tennessee legislatures Education, Health and General Welfare joint subcommittee, as state Sen. Janice Bowling (R) and state Rep. Mary Littleton (R) both invoked it, and as with the rest of the lawmakers, they brought it up without offering any corroborating evidence: Yes, this happened in the Tennessee legislature this week! Reading, writing, and paychecks. A hair-raising group of youth are apparently terrorizing a Meade County high school. 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. WARNING RANT!!! News 6 reported that, much like in the U.S., Australian lawmakers picked up on another Murdoch-owned newspaper's claim that an eighth-grade private school student in Melbourne "identifies as a cat, and as long as she does her school work, the school is supporting her assumed identity": The sourcing for this claim "a source close the . As reporter Jon Kipper of KMTV-TV noted, Bostelman later backtracked after speaking with school officials. Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau said it got so bad that he had to send a letter to students and parents on Monday. 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 And these rumors themselves are regurgitated, as can be seen in how they were referenced in a meeting of the Midland Public Schools board in Michigan in December 2021 by a local woman, identified as Lisa Hansen: Yesterday I heard something, and I was stunned, and today I am equally stunned and a little bit upset. 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 . "Two-spirit" is a term used by some Native Americans to describe community members who identify with a third gender or other gender variants. Are districts ready? It seemed to me like it was a backlash against some of the progressive things that our schools are doing, Carpenter told the CBC. A grandmother of a student reported that a crew of kids dressed as cats has been hissing and scratching at others. Is the Damaged Russian Warship Moskva the Snake Island Ship. "Let's instead focus on real issues impacting Oregon youth.". The rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals. ! wrote Carroll resident Shelly Loew on Facebook, in with here. I've got to rant for a minute," the teacher says in a short TikTok video. It doesn't make sense," she added. arguments have been used throughout history, such as comparing interracial and homosexual relationships to bestiality and pedophilia. 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.. No one has ever changed their sex it is only imitation or appropriation and should be referred to as such.. AllSides members can bookmark any article and read it later. -ag. The ABS had made a recommendation that a greater number of gender descriptors to be provided in the next census. boxes??!!. and understand all perspectives of today's news and issues. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Well, like The Courier-Mail, we have been unable to find any. Carroll School District. 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. "The students are told they can't wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. 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. Iowa State Education Association Director Mary Jane Cobb said the litter box rumors are a right-wing attempt to mock LGBTQ+ restroom equality. claimed that Des Moines has students who say they are a dog and a Its absurd, and its mean-spirited, and it is absolutely not the focus we should be having right now, Cobb said. Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow sent a message to the school district to address the claim. News 6 reported that, much like in the U.S., Australian lawmakers picked up on another Murdoch-owned newspapers claim that an eighth-grade private school student in Melbourne identifies as a cat, and as long as she does her school work, the school is supporting her assumed identity: The sourcing for this claim a source close the family was also similarly shoddy, continuing the trend in stories of this nature. 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 Iowa district. 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. 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. Lawmakers are debating all kinds of extreme legislation, like Sen. Jake Chapmans school porn bill that threatens teachers with prison, Obradovich wrote in a commentary piece. & Now some schools are also allowing litter boxes??!!. 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. "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. Factual reporting is essential. 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. The parent goes on to suggest this is part of a larger "agenda" nationwide. "Let me be clear there is no truth whatsoever tothis false statement/accusation! This issue gains negative attention because of its outrageousness, Berlau wrote in his note to parents. 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. Midland Public Schools was accused of installing litter boxes in the restrooms for students "who identify as cats" to use. Tell us where we should look inside here. To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools, Sharrow wrote. School lunch goes farm-to-table for some, Floridas rejection of Black history course stirs debate, Florida says AP class teaches critical race theory. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Natalie Pate covers education for the Statesman Journal. Perspectives of today 's news and issues there is no truth whatsoever false! 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