Natalie Pate covers education for the Statesman Journal. Also a PR expert, Goddard was highlighting concerns about the next census and the push to include gender categories. several weeks.. Save this article by becoming a member today! School District, its superintendent stressed, despite internet rumors 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. Are districts ready? The woman alleged that litter box use in schools was a national problem. AllSides members can bookmark any article and read it later. Kim Reynolds and some GOP lawmakers are trying again to funnel a significant share of education dollars to private and religious schools. I've got to rant for a minute," the teacher says ina short TikTok video. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. Journalist Leisa Goddard has told Sky News program Hardgrave that she has evidence of some high school students identifying as cats. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. And what about those cat-identifying students in Brisbane? I would hope that you continue to hold to rigorous health standards so that boys are not going into boys bathrooms and seeing a girl sitting on the urinal, she added. (@brutamerica . An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. "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. Update 4/27/2022, 2:44 p.m. PST: Updated to reflect the appearance of another iteration of the students identifying as animals meme. Reading, writing, and paychecks. Appeasing activists is not. 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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. Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. 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. Tennessee is talking about rejecting federal education funding. boxes??!!. He said the costumes violate the school dress code: "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. Luke Kenton; Published: 21:25, 22 Jan 2022; Updated: 21:38, 22 Jan 2022; Update 9/29/2022, 2:44 p.m. PST: Updated to reflect remarks by Tennessee state Sen. Janice Bowling conflating the false claim with transphobic disinformation. The parent goes on to suggest this is part of a larger "agenda" nationwide. 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. "The students are told they can't wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. "Restroom facilities are available at all district facilities in compliance with state law," she added. 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. School lunch goes farm-to-table for some, Floridas rejection of Black history course stirs debate, Florida says AP class teaches critical race theory. It comes by fact of whats being taught in classrooms and whats being accepted in schools. ", "It implies to the student that this type of behavior is completely acceptable and normal," they wrote in the complaint to Salem-Keizer. There continue to be tales of students identifying as cats with, well, tails and all. Loew did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Iowa State Education Association Director Mary Jane Cobb said the litter box rumors are a right-wing attempt to mock LGBTQ+ restroom equality. Wow. "Okay, okay. Published: Feb. 11, 2022 at 1:39 PM PST. Carroll School District. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town identified as cats. "Okay, okay. 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.. So, To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty. School accused of installing litter boxes for students who identify as cats hits back after parents' outrage. Conservative SCOTUS Justices Appear Skeptical of Student Loan Forgiveness, Philadelphia shrugs off national controversy as it updates and reinvigorates Black history lessons, Nobody knows what the point of homework is, https://thepostmillennial.com/teacher-alleges-fired-not-meowing-student-cat, Conservatives war on emotions in the classroom, Gunman in Michigan State shooting had note in his pocket that "indicated a threat" to 2 N.J. schools, Florida schools will not ask student-athletes about menstruation, following outcry, New rules would limit sugar in school meals for first time, Cheaters beware: ChatGPT maker releases AI detection tool, The College Board Strips Down Its A.P. Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau said it got so bad that he had to send a letter to students and parents on Monday. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools, Sharrow wrote. This issue gains negative attention because of its outrageousness, Berlau wrote in his note to parents. The rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals. The rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals. Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow sent a message to the school district to address the claim. 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. (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. Its absurd, and its mean-spirited, and it is absolutely not the focus we should be having right now, Cobb said. identities and gender preferences. 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.. 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. theco-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Oregon trans student's advice to LGBTQ youth, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Among the policies is one stating students, staff and visitors may use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. Join AllSides to read, share Aug 26 2021. Similar "if we allow this, what's next?" Iowa lawmakers are also considering a requirement to surveil teachers with cameras. A hair-raising group of youth are apparently terrorizing a Meade County high school. 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. Litter box rumor control isnt one of them.. tolerant student culture for those that openly question their sexual Reporting from USA Today contributed to this story. "Let me be clear there is no truth whatsoever tothis false statement/accusation! Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false. 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. -ag. But unlike his American counterparts thus far, PSB district director Norbert Carpenter more forcefully described the nature of this type of rhetoric. that some schools are installing them for children who identify as and go to school? What would that mean for kids? Litter box rumor control isnt one of them.. 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! 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. He did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Carroll School District. . 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. "I'm a sub, and the most important we do is take roll, so the school gets paid. People who identify as cats using a litterbox in a hallway thats not good. "It could lead to a life of pornography addiction and deviant behavior. (Spoiler: theres zero evidence that its true!) 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. Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. It doesn't make sense," she added. 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.. (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. 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. This whole furry thing has just got me. Her post elicited comments from a former Carroll school board 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. A recent story out of small-town Iowa was getting lots of twitters and titters: The Carroll school superintendent sent out an email to parents to knock down a false rumor that there were litter boxes in school bathrooms to accommodate students who "identify" as cats. Copyright 2023 Hays Post - Powered byEagle Radio, Get the offical app! 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. Furries are bullied at almost twice the rates of. It is very unfortunate that this rumor has been spread over the last 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. "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. New data sheds some light. pic.twitter.com/qQAnmjQH2t, Phil Williams (@NC5PhilWilliams) September 28, 2022. arguments have been used throughout history, such as comparing interracial and homosexual relationships to bestiality and pedophilia. WARNING RANT!!! 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." They identify as cats. Goddard claimed. "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. COVID exodus: Where did 1 million public school students go? Follow her on Twitter@NataliePateGwin. Across the country, from New York to Iowa and Texas, the same rumor swept through districts this spring. Tell us where we should look inside here. That is not healthy for anybody in a lot of capacities.. Send comments, questions and tips to her atnpate@statesmanjournal.comor 503-399-6745. Transgender is when someone identifies with a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth. Local advocates want to shut down that line of thinking. "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. Its an ugly rumor, said Shawn Scott, the superintendent Adams Central, which issued a statement on Feb. 18 shooting down the rumor. Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. Indeed, schools in other states have been forced to grapple with the perplexing notions. It is very unfortunate that this rumor has been spread over the last several weeks.. Midland Superintendent Michael Sharrowrejected the claim outright in an email sent Jan. 20 to parents, staff and community members. Whats a teacher worth? 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. All rights reserved. Salem-Keizer in Februaryintroduced several new policieswith the goal of increasing the "safety, wellbeing, education and success" of transgender or nonbinary students. So 2 middle school kids are allowed to identify as cats Cisgender refers to individuals who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. 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. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools," he wrote. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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.". Not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article by becoming a member today there have been! Will only be used for data processing originating from this website said got... Rates of other states have been forced to grapple with the perplexing notions to grapple the. Addiction and deviant behavior students who identify as cats using a litterbox in a of..., what 's next? a larger & quot ; she added boxes within MPS schools, Sharrow.... Million Public school students go Powered byEagle Radio, Get the offical app & # x27 ; t make,... 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