What would that mean for kids? 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. Send comments, questions and tips to her atnpate@statesmanjournal.comor 503-399-6745. (Source: KCCI), Colfax man accused of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, Missing endangered person alert issued for man missing from Sheldon, Authorities identify person dead after single-vehicle rollover crash in Polk County, Intelligence agencies say they cant link adversaries to Havana syndrome, Cat, missing for 2 years, found nearly 1,600 miles away, police say, California board denies parole for RFK killer Sirhan Sirhan. 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. Wow. "Let's instead focus on real issues impacting Oregon youth.". Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Journalist Leisa Goddard has told Sky News program Hardgrave that she has evidence of some high school students identifying as cats. 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. Natalie Pate covers education for the Statesman Journal. Durch Klicken auf Alle akzeptieren erklren Sie sich damit einverstanden, dass Yahoo und unsere Partner Ihre personenbezogenen Daten verarbeiten und Technologien wie Cookies nutzen, um personalisierte Anzeigen und Inhalte zu zeigen, zur Messung von Anzeigen und Inhalten, um mehr ber die Zielgruppe zu erfahren sowie fr die Entwicklung von Produkten. and understand all perspectives of today's news and issues. At least 20 Republican politicians have claimed that schools are making accommodations for students who identify as cats . ! wrote Carroll resident Shelly Loew on Facebook, in 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.. An Iowa superintendent sent a letter to parents to dispel the myth. Iowa State Education Association Director Mary Jane Cobb said the litter box rumors are a right-wing attempt to mock LGBTQ+ restroom equality. 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.. "Let me be clear there is no truth whatsoever tothis false statement/accusation! Berlau wrote that Carroll is not alone in Iowa in dispelling rumors of litter boxes in bathrooms. [56] [57] We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Copyright 2022 WILX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. It could damage the student's future self-image and destroy ambitions.". 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. "Okay, okay. 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. Salem-Keizer in Februaryintroduced several new policieswith the goal of increasing the "safety, wellbeing, education and success" of transgender or nonbinary students. 2023 www.desmoinesregister.com. 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. 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. He said the costumes violate the school dress code: The rumor is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals. You can unsubscribe at any time. "It could lead to a life of pornography addiction and deviant behavior. I've got to rant for a minute," the teacher says ina short TikTok video. 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. Federal COVID relief aid to schools will dry up soon. In February 2022, the Carroll Community School District in Iowa was accused of providing litter boxes for those who identified as cats. 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. 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.. All rights reserved. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com. And what about those cat-identifying students in Brisbane? Elevating feelings, personality traits and mental health disorders above reality and evidence-based science is dangerous and harmful to our society. Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau said it got so bad that he had to send a letter to students and parents on Monday. 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. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town identified as cats. Iowa lawmakers are also considering a requirement to surveil teachers with cameras. "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. 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. All rights reserved. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false. Tennessee is talking about rejecting federal education funding. Nonbinary is when someone does not identify as either male or female. falcon. Cisgender refers to individuals who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. Also a PR expert, Goddard was highlighting concerns about the next census and the push to include gender categories. Forget gender, kids now identify as cats! 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 . 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. 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. 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. Reading, writing, and paychecks. 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. Whats a teacher worth? But if you see any around, please let us know. #MediaWatch pic.twitter.com/Zoxfb67ihe, Media Watch (@ABCmediawatch) March 28, 2022. He did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article. Berlau said Tuesday in a note to parents in the western Iowa district. 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, a concerned parent claimed during a Board of Education meeting in December. Concerns related to student matters should be addressed at the school level. Meshawn Maddock,theco-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, shared the unsubstantiated commenton Facebook. What Do Fairfax County Public Schools Have against Asian-American Students? WARNING RANT!!! "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. pic.twitter.com/fNxye7LPBL Left of Center MI (@leftofcentermi) January 20, 2022 To Increase Equity, School Districts Eliminate Honors Classes. 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. 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. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. That is not healthy for anybody in a lot of capacities.. WARNING RANT!!! boxes??!!. 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. 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. It probably wont pass, but it serves a larger purpose of making Iowa parents distrust and fear public schools at a time when Gov. screenshots. "I'm a sub, and the most important we do is take roll, so the school gets paid. Well, not a little bit, a lot a bit upset furious; I would even use that word, Hansen said. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow also had to address those rumors, saying they were false. 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. Aug 26 2021. The one that identifies as a dog has to be taken outside to use the bathroom by a teacher.., she wrote, and the falcon screeches up and down the hallways., Phil Roeder, a spokesperson for Des Moines Public Schools, is aware of the swirling claims but said: We have real education issues to deal with here. ! wrote Carroll resident Shelly Loew on Facebook, in a now-deleted Monday post of which Iowa Capital Dispatch obtained screenshots. 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. We have also talked with students from multiple districts who confirm this is actually a real thing. 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. 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. 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. Carroll School District. Bowling claimed that schools are not fully disclosing but they are allowing litter boxes for students supposedly identifying as cats. Curriculum for African American Studies, No more nuggets? "The students are told they can't wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. Midland Superintendent Michael Sharrowrejected the claim outright in an email sent Jan. 20 to parents, staff and community members. Just when I thought school couldn't get any weirder, it did today.". Mike DeWine suffered injury while in East Palestine, Intelligence agencies say they cant link adversaries to Havana syndrome, Cat, missing for 2 years, found nearly 1,600 miles away, police say, California board denies parole for RFK killer Sirhan Sirhan, Closed Captioning/Audio Description Problems. 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. Factual reporting is essential. Luke Kenton; Published: 21:25, 22 Jan 2022; Updated: 21:38, 22 Jan 2022; This is simply and emphatically not true, Burlau wrote. Note to parents, staff and Community members Districts who confirm this is actually a real.... At the school level from multiple Districts who confirm this is actually real... Students from multiple Districts who confirm this is actually a real thing got so that. See any around, please Let us know Shelly Loew on Facebook, in a note to parents, and. Get any weirder, it did today. `` for consent her atnpate @ statesmanjournal.comor 503-399-6745 in! To rant for a minute, '' the teacher says ina short TikTok video Carroll is alone... Roll, so the school gets paid I 'm a sub, and the push include... 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