The woman says she was born the wrong species. My psychologist told me I can grow out of it, but I doubt it, she told an interviewer. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 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. This thing has gotten out of control with politicians just wanting to have a talking point, said John McDonald, former director of campus safety at Jefferson County schools, whos now a school security consultant. 2022, https://www.poynter.org/tfcn/2022/no-furries-dont-get-litter-boxes-in-school-bathrooms/. Meade County Schools will not discuss individual student discipline due to privacy laws. Im just embarrassed by what this has gotten to," she said. Occams Razor would indicate she was just chasing clicks. Jan. 24, 2023, 2:31 PM PST. Libs of TikTok noted as much in a subsequent tweet, but questioned why no one said so at the school board meeting, where some people applauded after Hansen spoke. Her campaign declined to answer questions about Ganahls claims, but in one interview with a local Fox affiliate, she suggested theres a lot of this going on in Jefferson County. You cansubscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. The district's superintendent said in a public statement that "there have never been litter boxes within (Midland Public) schools.". The claim that a Wisconsin school district implemented furry protocols in order to deal with a wave of students identifying as cats is based almost entirely on one alleged email said to have. At least 20 Republican politicians have claimed that schools are making accommodations for students who identify as cats. Tyler Kingkade is a national reporter for NBC News, based in Los Angeles. On Jan. 20, Meshawn Maddock, the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, advanced the rumor, posting on Facebook that Kids who identify as furries get a litter box in the school bathroom, with a link to a parent activist group. On Facebook, public posts show variations of the claim popping up throughout the country every day, citing unnamed grandchildren or neighbors, from Florida to California. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Furries are part of an established subculture that has existed for decades. So thats why weve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. The school reportedly said in a statement that its students were demonstrating a range of issues from mental health, anxiety or identity issues. Its a safe bet that the girl identifying as a cat fits this description. IE 11 is not supported. WATCH: New Buddy Wildlife Documentary Premieres OnPITB! That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with. Some social media users are sharing a photo they claim shows a student who identifies as a cat. USA TODAY reached out to Maddock and others who shared theclaim on social media for comment. students identifying as cats. Meet Nano, the woman who thinks she is a cat. since when do cats attend public school? Independent TV. 5 min read. TikToks are going viral of school students claiming to identify as animals . Ben Goggin is the deputy editor for technology at NBC News Digital. Under a new state diversity policy, students may inform schools of how they identify and what pronouns to be used. 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. website:https://t.co/MPw6FiMrm1. John DePetro Show These situations have been addressed consistently by administration and the dress code policy will continue to be implemented with fidelity. "There is, of course, absolutely no truth to this claim, in Salem or anywhere else. It has even been parroted by former QAnon supporter and Republican politician Marjorie Taylor Greene. 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. NBC News agreed to keep their last names private due to their fear of harassment. 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. And it demonstrates how quickly some elements of truth can be twisted and mashed up with fully debunked assertions to create a viral narrative amplified by prominent politicians, as well as commentators with large audiences. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. However, many who shared the videoclaimed unequivocally that school administrators were responsible. As the number of people identifying as trans and nonbinary has increased in recent years, particularly among young people, so has the amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation from conservative politicians. "It is ok to pretend to be a cat or dog in your private time, but the world and work force should not be forced to play along," one said. According to reports, the girl allegedly is phenomenally bright and does not speak during school hours. Urban decay: There's a reason criminals love Los Angeles's district attorney, Student borrowers advocate Biden debt relief program amid Supreme Court battle, Trump and DeSantis attend dueling Republican conferences as GOP primary field heats up, China will target the US homeland in war over Taiwan, Army leader predicts, Users recoil at new iPhone feature that slows charging when clean energy isn't used. It started when a video of a central Michigan school board meeting went viral in mid-January after a parent claimed a "nefarious . TikTok False: The claim is. Tim Kraayenbrink, a Republican Iowa state senator, said at a forum in May that local schools had been required to put cat litter boxes in the bathroom for furries to use, as he discussed schools that allow transgender students to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity. The latest madness is the news of a teenage girl who identifies as a cat the latest example of how self-identification is not necessarily an expression of the healthiest or best thing for someone who needs mental help. This is the world we live in today, and this is the danger created by normalizing transgender delusions in young students who may get over it. 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 . Regarding the Norwegian woman, that one startled me as I have a cat named Nano. Why would you attack our most vulnerable to get your point across, especially since the point is baseless?. This claim as well as many others are simply false and are causing unnecessary stress to students and staff, Norbert Carpenter, the director of schools, said in the post. Across the country, from New York to Iowa and Texas, the same rumor swept through districts this spring. The claim that the Waunakee school district had implemented furry protocols appears to have originated with an email sent to Pesta. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools.. During a speech at a rally in Pennsylvania in September last year Greene repeated false assertions that schools in the state were lowering tables and putting out litter boxes for who students who identified as furries or cats. "I was hearing rumblings of this last year, but it really got bad when they went back to school this year. pass bills that would require teachers to notify parents if their child is identifying as transgender at school. However, as USA TODAY reported, the district's superintendent shut downthe rumor soon after Maddock shared the video on Jan. 20. 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. "They identify with animals. Do your research. Meshawn Maddock,theco-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, shared the unsubstantiated commenton Facebook. Sorry, no feline accomadations in the school. "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. It's more about the complexity of neural connections. I dont understand why these kids are acting so un-human and not happy with themselves, she said. "She said its not a new problem. WATCH LIVE: Merrick Garland testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee. The district where Columbine High School is located has been stocking classrooms with small amounts of cat litter since 2017, but as part of go buckets that contain emergency supplies in case students are locked in a classroom during a shooting. It doesnt make sense," she added.But according to Superintendent Mark Martin, a petition isnt needed.He said the costumes violate the school dress code:"A small number of Meade County High School students have violated the dress code policy during the early part of the school year. I dont go out wearing tail, gloves, ears, or fursuit heads on any normal day, she said in an email. The trend toward acting like a cat or dog is real, even if the Midland school litter box is the hoax du jour. The world continues to spiral down into the seemingly bottomless pit of insanity, as Bristol University issues official guidelines for staff in the correct use of pronouns for those who identify as "catgender," reports the Daily Mail. By Brooke Sopelsa. District officials confirmed to the Statesman Journal that the claims are categorically false. A TikTok user in a video that has gone viral claimed falsely that she was fired from a school after failing to respect a student's decision to identify as a cat. Beyond Republican politicians and officials, plenty of social media users have latched onto the rumor, most notably on Facebook and TikTok. forbidding transgender students from using the bathroom of their acquired gender. An Iowa newspaper reported some students in a small town identified as cats. "Restroom facilities are available at all district facilities in compliance with state law," she added. Thankfully for our furry friends, smaller brains don't necessarily correlate to lower intelligence. Fact check: False claim about Boston Children's Hospital's transgender care program. Be a serious parent or parents. No Left Turn in Education, a Leading Anti-Critical Race Theory Group, Frequently Pushes Toxic Rhetoric in Media. Media Matters for America, https://www.mediamatters.org/education/no-left-turn-education-leading-anti-critical-race-theory-group-frequently-pushes-toxic. Happy birthday to Nano, and hopefully hell have many more! 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. Kymera, 14, of Colorado, said being a furry is just a hobby, akin to being a mascot. It's The #2 BEST Way To . A private school in Australia is reportedly supporting a young "non-verbal" student identifying as a cat. Hananoki, Eric. "They identify with animals. The photos show aNorweigan woman who was the subject of multiple media reports in 2016 when she claimed to be a cat trapped in a human's body. If we do encounter a verifiable story about a school district doing that, Ill absolutely write about it. The grandmother is urging parents and family members to attend the Meade County School Board meeting on Sept. 14 to request further action. In an Oct. 19, 2021, Facebook post, the Public Schools Branch of Prince Edward Island said that for several months it had fielded calls, been sent emails and been pointed to numerous social media posts that make broad sweeping assertions regarding students who identify as cats. The claim: Photos show non-verbal student whose cat identity is accommodated at public school Some social media users are sharing a photo they claim shows a student who identifies as a cat.. 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 students in school bathrooms. It was"unconscionable" that he was addressing the rumor, Sharrow said,but he felt it necessary to do so because of its renewed spread on social media. "The students are told they cant wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. 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. The story was picked up by several widely-read sites, included in Tucker Carlsons daily newsletter, and reshared on prominent Twitter accounts in addition to going viral on Facebook. The photos show a young woman wearing costume cat ears. The rise of the litter box rumor shows the power of false claims that start on social media to shape political discourse. 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