USA TODAY reached out to Maddock and others who shared theclaim on social media for comment. Where did you get your info. One student was apparently disciplined for pulling on the tail of one of the cat identifying students who was seen hissing at students in the cafeteria. No actual evidence has been presented to support the claim. 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. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can arguments have been used throughout history, such as comparing interracial and homosexual relationships to bestiality and pedophilia. North Kingstown is in the news again as a school is reportedly allowing two students to identify as cats this school year complete with providing a litter box. The superintendent tells WLKY the situation is being addressed, but according to a concerned grandparent, its an ongoing problem that has many students on edge. In the days before McKenna appeared on Peta's podcast, Pesta gave a few presentations that mentioned this alleged email. Ben Goggin is the deputy editor for technology at NBC News Digital. However, a spokesperson for Aberdeenshire Council told The National: There are no cats and no pupils identifying as cats at Banff Academy.. 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. (LogOut/ Rogan did not name the school, and his publicist did not respond to a request for comment. First, the obvious, or perhaps not-so-obvious considering the media attention and outrage surrounding both stories: Neither one is true. And during a legislative hearing last month in Tennessee, two Republican state lawmakers discussed the growing crisis of public schools providing litter boxes for children who identify as cats, and claimed its happening across the state. Last January, the superintendent of Midland Public Schools in Michigan was forced to address community members on Facebook after the rumour took hold locally. The Waunakee Community School District does not have protocols for furries, nor do we have an issue with disruptions in our school and classrooms.. Please! Under a new state diversity policy, students may inform schools of how they identify and what pronouns to be used. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. I was told by a teacher friend in Georgia that this is true in her state as well. 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. These things just made me feel uncomfortable and so unnecessary as to why theyre barking at me, and its very distracting during school days.". It doesnt make sense," she added. Many kids learn in different ways - some are more visual while others absorb information better if they read about it, but everyone learns best when they are comfortable and at ease, and for one teen in Australia, that means acting like a cat.. ", "It implies to the student that this type of behavior is completely acceptable and normal," they wrote in the complaint to Salem-Keizer. Sorry, not a known recognizable language. 2022. 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. A couple of students identify as cats and demanded a litter box. "So, now in schools, if a kid wants to identify as a furry, . 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. She declined to connect NBC News with any parents or teachers shes spoken with. TikTok False: The claim is. Roughly three in four are under the age of 25, the group writes. As he stated in his message, the board meeting took place on Dec. 20, 2021, and did not circulate widely until mid-January. The school districts say these claims are untrue. 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 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. Regardless of what you have or have not heard about furries, it might surprise you to learn that there is a team of researchers who have devoted their careers to studying this fandom, Hal Herzog wrote for Psychology Todays Animals and Us column in 2017. A teenage girl from Melbourne, Australia, identifies as a cat, according to multiple news stories. Catalina Lauf, a Republican congressional nominee in Illinois, tweeted this month that schoolchildren were using litter boxes in her state. Midland Superintendent Michael Sharrowrejected the claim outright in an email sent Jan. 20 to parents, staff and community members. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. Be supportive of students who share their differences. 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. "This is a rumor that has been circulating nationally, and more recently in our community, and is simply just that, a rumor, and is not in any way accurate. Last month, Brendan Shea, a Republican and member of the Ohio State Board of Education, introduced a resolution to oppose civil rights protections for LGBTQ students. Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claimthat a Michigan school put litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats. Accessed 5 Apr. It has even been parroted by former QAnon supporter and Republican politician Marjorie Taylor Greene. Clearly, identifying as a cat is absurd and indicative of a serious personal problem. Like Richard Littejohn at the Daily Mail, I'm not sure how many . morning journal obituaries past 3 days; when will allegiant release december 2022 flights Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. The post has been shared more than 300 times and garnered receptions of both hilarity and condemnation. The source of the claim was a parent at a Midland County School Board meeting who said she had "heard" that this had occurred in one local school, but she did not provide evidence. Some commenting on the situation in Midland questioned why the superintendent posted a message denouncing the litter boxes as a hoax on a Facebook page for emergency communications. Everyone should be sympathetic to her plight, but people should not be enabling her delusions. While Pesta claims that this woman was fired, she was not fired. Meade County Schools will not discuss individual student discipline due to privacy laws.". NBC News reported: A Nebraska state lawmaker apologized on Monday after he publicly cited a persistent but debunked rumor alleging that schools are placing litter boxes in school bathrooms to accommodate children who self-identify as cats. It's more about the complexity of neural connections. Identifying as human isn't good enough anymore, so now some must cross species to identify as a cat to gain attention. Some things in life, like cats, are too good to be muddied by Americas toxic ideological wars. The post garnered more than 1,000 interactions in less than two weeks. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools," he wrote. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem-Keizer: Claims of litter boxes in school restrooms are false. These people will hiss at you or scratch at you if they dont like something youre doing.". contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. The behaviour is often linked to a "furries" subculture being adopted by many teens, where many furries feel a deep connection to a particular animal that they take on their "fursona", according to Gerbasi et al. 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. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. 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? Interestingly, Pesta follows the slide about "furry protocols" with another false rumor about a teacher being fired for protesting against the installation of litterboxes at schools in Michigan for students who identified as cats. We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. "Two-spirit" is a term used by some Native Americans to describe community members who identify with a third gender or other gender variants. 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. since when do cats attend public school? If they feel they are cats, they should stay home, get a liscense and a rabies shot and use their back yard or litter box. Andy Cross / Denver Post via Getty Images. Rumors began to surface that these students were permitted to use litter boxes in bathrooms to. 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. A Gannett Company. "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. She said: If some student wants to pretend like a cat and use a litterbox after school, thats their prerogative, whatever. The origin of the, ahem, furfluffle can be traced back to a Dec. 20 school board meeting. The students are minors so their names are not being released and it is unknown if they identify as male felines or female felines. Kentucky school district: Students are dressing and acting like cats. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. "The students are told they cant wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. The photos are from 2016 and show a Norweigan adult who is capable of speaking, not a non-verbal, school-aged child. Meshawn Maddock,theco-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, shared the unsubstantiated commenton Facebook. We should all be sympathetic to these people, which is why we should not enable any of their delusions. Flights Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy policy spokesperson for Aberdeenshire Council told the National: There no... Both stories: Neither one is true and garnered receptions of both hilarity and condemnation surface. 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