So the litter box stories are part of an effort to smear transgender kids and justify restricting their rights. She previously covered the Iowa Statehouse for 10 years for newspapers in Davenport, Waterloo, Sioux City, Mason City and Muscatine. "Yesterday I heard something, and I was stunned. Supposedly this is real. And that is what is missing if you know what I mean. But the cost of using transgender kids as pawns in the war against teachers unions is much higher. A young child wears cat ears while doing school work at home. I think we need some intervention on these kids and parents. A recent story out of small-town Iowa was getting lots of twitters and titters: The Carroll school superintendent . "And so I heard yesterday that at least one of our schools in our town has in one of those unisex bathrooms a litter box for the kids that identify as cats and I'm really disturbed by that.". Click Manage settings for more information and to manage your choices. And lots of people of all ages actually do engage in fantasy role-playing as entertainment. It has done nothing but distract people from the important work that we need to accomplish on a daily basis.". If youve ever used the phrase Fake News now YOU can actually DO something about it! Jackie Jahfetson, The Dickinson Press, N.D. Clearly it was fake. Kathie Obradovich Iowa Capital Dispatch. Elections: What EVSC school board candidates say about diversity, inclusion and masks. "Kids who identify as 'furries' get a litter box in the school bathroom. There are an estimated 250,000 people in the US who identify as furries, a subculture whose members enjoy dressing up as cartoonish animals, sometimes as a sexual fetish but more often as a fun escape. He doesn't have to travel that far if he's in the mood for a nightcap; he just has to go through one single door. Some go to conventions dressed as their favorite superheroes. 13, 2022 4:31 pm. A couple of weeks ago we received an email. Rumors have now begun circulating in Dickinson and other Western Edge communities that have sparked more than one phone call to The Dickinson Press with questions on whether the school district has, or will be, installing litter boxes in its restrooms. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. "Parent heroes will TAKE BACK our . (Source: KCCI), Intelligence agencies say they cant link adversaries to Havana syndrome, LIVE: Students hold protest over anti LGBTQ+ laws in Iowa City, People lay flowers at station in Greece, site of deadly crash. Another gawker wondered how the litter box system would even work, writing: Logistically no public school has the budget to afford kitty litter for a small percentage of their community to use also ask yourself the last janitor youve met would they scoop human feces out of a litter box?. This is sadly happening, and even in rural, conservative, farm country, Iowa. And last week, as I was meeting people at the Clay County GOP booth at the county fair, a student told me this sort of thing is happening at their school too. Symptoms include a fever, which is worsened by spending lots of time in conservative culture war fever swamps. But just like with book bans, furry fearmongering is translating into state law: The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported this week that the Iowa Senate has passed new laws enshrining further parental . Debunking myths about kids identifying as animals, and litter boxes in schools Published: November 7, 2022 4.32pm EST Sharon E. Roberts , University of Waterloo Even putting litter boxes in the bathrooms in some schools? A furry. Theyre also allowed to bark. 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. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. The real goal with comparing furries to trans people and bringing up stuff like this is, one, to make fun of furries and say, Oh, arent they so silly. That's when a local news story about a Pittsburgh furry convention led to unfounded . Have yall heard about this? Fargo, Moorhead and West . Ill have my tuna on rye, not mixed with kibble, thanks. As for the rest of us, expect headaches, confusion and exhaustion. The litter box canard also serves another political purpose: Trying to scare parents. litter boxes in schools for furries maine. 27 febrero, 2023 . Some furries even wear animal costumes or tails in public. 0:45. If your child thinks they are a cat or a dog then you failed as a parent. Interestingly, the school wrote it doesnt want to discourage or thwart the creativity or individualism of students, but it wants to promote a safe and healthy culture for all kids to feel comfortable. The same story has been debunked elsewhere in Iowa and in Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan. Waukee taxpayers voice displeasure at heated meeting. A strange rumor has been circulating on social media for the past month or so that has to do with schools and litter boxes. They dont literally think that theyre cats or dogs, or whatever, and theyre not asking schools to put litter boxes in, or any of this nonsense.. 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. Comments above just about cover it. There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools.. If you have people who act like and believe they ARE animals, that is NOT a Furry. Theyre identifying as animals. ", Popular Mobile Games You Must Play In 2023. Locker rooms! In short: This behavior is not related to Furries so please stop lumping a harmless hobby in with an actual mental illness. A senator repeated a long-disproven hoax about children who identify as cats using litter boxes and shitting on the floor in schools on Monday, in the latest absurdity to come out of . Rebecca Kleeman, a spokeswoman for Millard Public Schools, said she is unaware of any incidents involving furries or requests for litter boxes. No. Meanwhile, back in Marion, at last weeks Linn-Mar School Board meeting, board member Matt Rollinger, who opposes the districts transgender policies, got an earful from fellow board members about his attendance at a closed-door meeting with Gov. They were wrong then and theyre wrong now. Supposedly, a female student was identifying as a cat. Only rumor. I first did not believe it when my granddaughter told me about this. ACROSS AMERICA The conspiracy theory that some school districts are providing litter boxes for students who identify as animals, or "furries," is making the rounds again as the 2022-23 . Therefore, if you identify as a dog or cat you can no longer go to a public school because animals are not allowed. Im just sayin. 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. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter. In the message, Berlau writes, Iowas Most Boring Town Is A Hilarious Coincidence, Heres What 1 Year Of Working On K92.3 and Moving To Iowa Looks Like [PHOTOS], 5 Tips That May Help With Spring Allergies In Your Iowa Home, Chicago Man Convicted In Cruel Shooting of Iowa Deputy, Waterloos Lost Island Parks Announce Opening Dates. Imagine being such a tone deaf journalist that you miss the whole point that this is about transphobia and mocking trans people. Schools are not putting litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate children, as months of unfounded rumors have claimed. I received an email last Saturday morning from a guy I know in Fort Dodge dating back to my time at the Fort Dodge Messenger. Once you see through this political cat-and-mouse game, the litter box story just seems doggone sad. Getty Images. Members of the "furries" fantasy subculture tell The Post they're not wild about this week . O'Furr, who has traced the origins of the litter box urban legend, dates the hoax to at least 2008. According to the Carroll Times Herald, rumors that Carroll Community School District officials were putting litter boxes into their bathroom facilities have been going on for weeks! Im all for creativity and imagination, but when someone lives in a fantasy world and expects other people to go along with it, I have a problem with that, added Hansen, who defined furry as someone who identifies as a cat or a dog, whatever.. Supposedly, a female student was identifying as a cat. We were told there are students allowed to wear cat ears and tails while other students cannot even wear a hat. You have entered an incorrect email address! The Gazette is Iowas independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage. bizarre concession at a Dec. 20 board meeting. Lewton noted that each school within the Dickinson Public Schools district has its own handbook that lays out dress code. Parents have claimed that at least one litter box was installed in a unisex bathroom for children who identify themselves as 'furries' Credit: Getty. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette), Columnist/editorial writer for The Gazette. The rumor has been spreading persistently, but was unfounded each time: An Iowa superintendentsent a letterto parents to dispel the myth. Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael You guys are truly ignorant. Though furries are not new, the issue of students identifying as these animals at school has attracted mainstream attention. The specific claim that schools are providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats or furries seemed to first emerge in 2021, targeting the Prince Edward Island's Public Schools Branch . All these harmful, spiteful tactics targeting Iowans and their rights for a political payday carry an unmistakable stench. DEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy. It doesnt affect me and either way, there are myriad remedy to stop it. There never will be," said EVSC Superintendent David Smith, after Monday's board meeting. Copyright 2022 KCCI via CNN Newsource. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); ***The Iowa Standard is an independent media voice. The district denied the allegation, but then just a couple of days later we were told about students identifying as cats in another district. In the Dec. 21, 2021, YouTube video, which now has more than 91,000 views, a woman said during the Midland Public Schools board meeting that she was told there was a litter box in the bathroom of . 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 . litter boxes in schools for furries maine. In his statement, Sharrow said it was "unconscionable that this afternoon I am sending this communication. Sharon E. Roberts, Associate professor, Social Development Studies, University of Waterloo . In Iowa, an unsourced, anonymous reportclaimed that school boards were considering placing litter boxes in the bathrooms, while a Canadian public school director took to the mediato connect similar rumors in his []. Whats next? You know, this is being conflated specifically to invalidate trans identities which are real and which have been studied extensively, they said. Waukee taxpayers voice displeasure at heated meeting. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 0. In Iowa, an unsourced, anonymous report claimed that school boards were considering placing litter boxes in the bathrooms, while a Canadian public school director took to the media to connect similar rumors in his [], [] Similar reports have popped up elsewhere. She also claimed that the nefarious practice was part of a nationwide agenda being pushed within the education system. An untrue rumor that litter boxes are being placed in schools for students who dress up in furry costumes and identify as cats has made its way to two North Carolina school districts despite . We rely on the financial support of our readers to exist. 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. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson. They're furious. Sick. Answering the Left: But do you know any gay people? "I was in almost every school yesterday and I think you know that I am in schools a lot. Using catlike political reflexes, Kraayenbrink tried to scratch some litter to cover up the mess he made. Crow laughed. 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 . The anatomy of a rumor: Furries and litter boxes at Dickinson Public Schools Furries, people dressing up and acting like anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and . Or speak. Imagine being such a tone deaf journalist that you miss the whole point that this is about transphobia and mocking trans people., WTF cares. 0:00. Others were enjoying poking fun at the gullibility of those who were outraged in their misguided belief that children were using litter boxes instead of toilets in school. I just cant believe this is real, sputtered one incredulous commenter, while another wrote, Whats going on in this town?. They are acting just as described in this article. May. Otherwise, if we don't stop this downward slide, we might soon be required to provide litter boxes for people who identify as cats. Somehow, it always comes back to money. And the school was allowing kitty litter to be placed in the classroom or bathroom or both.

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