Sixth grader Knox Zajac appeared at the school board meeting on February 15 to . ", In another email, Deputy Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza says, "We have all received the emails about the furries in schools..", And in yet another email, Tara Pena, chief of family school and community partnerships, wonders, "If it [would be] helpful to mention that calling into question students dressing or "identifying" as furries is part of a larger, national political platform to further marginalize our transgender and lgbtq+ students. ", An open records request shows Edwards is among at least two dozen parents who've written the district over the last eight months. It's malpractice for a government agency to issue health directives based on VAERS data. School board meetings, sometimes attended by members of far-right paramilitary groups, have become theaters for culture wars, with GOP figures like Maddock calling on parents to TAKE BACK our schools from the specter of liberal educators. Furries don't identify as animals; they identify with animals. Meanwhile, conservative commentators accused the left of attempting to destroy the fabrics of our democracy for drawing Minnie Mouse in a pantsuit instead of her usual short dress. When a community member made a claim about litter boxes being in Brainerd at a March . Erick Kaardal, a Thomas More Society attorney, worked closely with Gableman, who was appointed by the speaker of the state Assembly, a Republican. The politicization of furry school rumors comes amid a sweeping conservative assault on public schools and how they approach issues like race and gender. Debunking myths about kids identifying as animals, and litter boxes in schools Published: November 7, 2022 4.32pm EST. According to Kentucky NBC affiliate WLWT, parents and students alike are concerned about a group of high school students in the Meade County School district "attending school. Still, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told Votebeat on Tuesday that historically, Arizona counties have made this type of decision on how to delegate election responsibilities and they should have the right to do so. She's even more frustrated that school administrators got caught up in the politics. It's a tall order, but Ladapo is prepared to do whatever it takes. Cat!. We built this house on sand, English said, clearly referencing the false claims about election fraud the board has heard in recent work sessions leading up to the supervisors decision. Al Anderson said Crosby, Judd, and Stevens have taken a wrecking ball to Cochise Countys election department.. | So its not me singlehandedly making these decisions, Colwell said. Carpenter said children in schools express themselves in many ways, but the rumours of students . I'm a real-life furry and my lifestyle is no dirty 'cat litter box' joke. School litter box fever will not die in Iowa. "It got progressively worse," Edwards told CBS News Colorado. In fact, chatter about litter boxes and doggie bowls display a misunderstanding about the furry community, which eats and poops like everyone else, says Sharon Roberts, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo and member of the academic research team Furscience. It seemed to me like it was a backlash against some of the progressive things that our schools are doing, director Norbert Carpenter told the CBC, and we would have many that would say this is rooted in hate and transphobia and homophobia and that message needs to be clear, its not acceptable.. The furry movement is disproportionately LGBT and neurodiverse, yet we see that furries are thriving in this community, Roberts said. Bannon applauded that action. Theyre allowed to wear leashes and collars and tails and they just bark but God forbid a kid wears a Trump hat to school; theyre told to take that off immediately. (Most schools dont allow hats.). I think you have vilified the election process.. At the society, Brejcha and Kline agreed on a contract that covered 2018 through 2021, Kline said. When vaccine safety is in the news, people are more likely to attribute their symptoms to vaccines and more motivated to report those symptoms to VAERS. Trumps legal team was making similar efforts, and that team included Jenna Ellis, a former Thomas More Society attorney. Kline needed help in Kansas, beginning in about 2010, fighting professional misconduct charges arising from his investigation of abortion clinics as attorney general and later as a county district attorney. Those rumors appear to have resurfaced with the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Please, let these weirdos do their thing. To make matters worse, some major antivax groups and personal injury attorneys coach their followers to make VAERS reports about third parties. That generally is the case, but that doesnt mean theres not evidence that requires further investigation and effort and I believe there is.. The districts superintendent told the station that a small number of students had violated the dress code by wearing cat ears or tails, and that the situation was under control. OFurr, who has traced the origins of the litter box urban legend, dates the hoax to at least 2008. While the districts superintendent assured WLWT that this furry gear is, in fact, a dress code violation, that hasnt seemed to ease the worries of the anonymous student who started the petition. 2. The Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael E. Sharrow took to Facebook to deny the claims. Furries are a subculture of people who craft alter-egos as anthropomorphized animals. An online search turned up no verified reports of furries in schools here, nor did requests sent to several districts. He said for months schools and the PSB have received phone calls and emails about the issue. Plenty of names associated with Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 results are well known by now. Republican politicians should probably heed that same rule of thumb when it comes to tales of kids identifying as furries. The Venn diagram between these kids and the kids who Naruto run through the hallways is, I would guess, basically a circle, and theyre probably harmless. They targeted cities, counties, county commissioners, mayors, governors and election officials for legal action, focusing on key states Trump lost in 2020 Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Minnesota. (Furscience set the bathroom record straight in 2016, when they made a tongue-in-cheek video about the impossibility of using a toilet in a fursuit.). The story was made up by the TikTok user, who later posted an update expressing . In Wisconsin, the uproar over the grants became a central element of a taxpayer-funded, partisan review of the 2020 election, led by Trump supporter Michael Gableman, a former state Supreme Court justice. Lawyers for Thomas More made three trips to the U.S. Supreme Court in the clash, ultimately winning a 2006 decision in which the court held that the protests couldnt be barred under extortion or racketeering statutes. 13, 2022 7:00 am, Updated: May. Claims of litter boxes in school bathrooms have cropped up on social media both locally and around the country. ".It's something called furries. Apparently, from what I understand, theyre called furries, the grandmother, who asked to remain anonymous, told WLKY. He did this based on a severely flawed, non-peer-reviewed study conducted by unnamed individuals within the Florida Department of Health. Got a tip? In late November 2020 in Michigan, which Biden won, Amistad attorney Ian Northon petitioned the state Supreme Court to take control of all ballots to allow for a constitutionally sound audit of lawful votes and give the state Legislature time to finish its constitutionally-mandated work to pick Michigans electors.. (The organization does not release the names of its donors.). The Daily Beast reports that in "Pennsylvania, Maine, Michigan, and Iowa in recent months, school board meetings have been disrupted by allegations that educators are giving special treatment to furry students.". We respectfully decline to comment any further on this issue.". By October, furry fears were making their way into school board meetings. 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. Serrano had touted legal efforts supported by Thomas More on Bannons podcast, in December 2020, when he talked about a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., regarding the ecosystem that caused this fraud on a massive level to take place.. Counter-protestors stand and hold signs at the intersection of 10th Street and . The media firestorm over Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent paper linking vaccines and autism boosted VAERS reporting rates for the MMR vaccine. Kline is the former attorney general of Kansas whose law license was suspended indefinitely a decade ago by the state Supreme Court over ethical violations. If you are aware of legal authority for the draft Agreement, please promptly provide it to us, Solicitor General Joshua Bendor wrote. The investigation was closed after the tipster clammed up. But it wasn't until Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl raised the issue in a radio interview - saying "kids are identifying as cats" - that it erupted in controversy. Media and internet exposure also drive VAERS reporting. In recent months, it successfully lobbied Ohio lawmakers to enact a strict voter photo ID law. People who are furries are not like, I am my anthropomorphized character. Thats not what happens., Furries do not literally believe they are non-human animals, Roberts said. Its not accusatory enough. ", According to her 6th grade niece, she told the district, the kids also "walk on all 4s in the hallway eat with their face in their food" and refer to themselves as "animal avengers. Meanwhile, parents continue to discover new issues that many districts are now facing. Kids being dumb: 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. There are no furries or students identifying as such. / CBS Colorado. Republicans Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd voted yes, and Democrat Chairwoman Ann English voted no. Weve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation. In denying the request, Boasberg ruled that it relied on a fundamental and obvious misreading of the Constitution., It would be risible were its target not so grave: the undermining of a democratic election for President of the United States.. If you actually look at whos doing this, at some of the political groups getting involved, theyre all far right.. Representatives of Westfield Washington Schools and the districts in. But these persistent legal challenges mirror the approaches used in the fight over abortion: Never stop pushing for the cause in court or legislatures. That does not mean I was acting on behalf of Amistad, I wasnt.. Last year, he disregarded CDC guidelines and recommended against covid mRNA vaccines for men aged 18 to 39. Despite the court losses, the society considers its assault on the Zuckerberg funds to be a major success because it blazed the trail for two dozen states to ban private funding of election administration, according to the memo Thomas More provided. In August, for instance, an anonymous grandparent told Kentuckys WLKY that her grandchildren were being bullied in class by students who made hissing noises. The litter boxes in schools hoax (also called the litter box canard) is a false rumor alleging that certain North American schools provide litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the furry or otherkin subcultures. The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. They were subjected to often stinging rebukes. {{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}. The students are told they cant wear hats or Budweiser shirts in school, but they can wear cat ears, cat tails, masks, leashes. Its culture war, its control, and its not about protecting kids, Patch OFurr, proprietor of the furry news site Dogpatch Press, told The Daily Beast. READ MORE: This popular church app has become a 'dark' hotbed of anti-vaxxer extremism: report. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider it. It also lists a few duties that Stevens will have, such as managing special taxing districts, but then says generally the Recorder shall be responsible for all other election functions.. They called their initiative the Amistad Project, a reference to an 1839 mutiny aboard a slave ship of that name. Another Cochise resident, Bob McCormick, said that Stevens is qualified for the job and combining the departments will be cost effective. the impossibility of using a toilet in a fursuit, has traced the origins of the litter box urban legend, I sexually identify as an attack helicopter. The judge also expressed shock at the scope of the request to have numerous state and federal election laws declared unconstitutional and an injunction issued that would prevent Pence and Congress from ratifying the electoral votes in key battleground states. The issue was first brought to light at a Dec. 20 school board meeting for Midland Public Schools, around 100 miles northwest of Detroit. D! It did not win through court action, but as increasing attention was paid to the drop boxes, the state Supreme Court ruled their use unlawful. After receiving complaints unconnected to the Amistad Project, the Federal Election Commission reviewed the grants last year and determined that Zuckerberg did not violate campaign finance laws, concluding that the grants were awarded to many jurisdictions and did not suggest any partisan motive. The first notable instance of furry panic occurred when right-wing activists pushed a false claim about schools in Michigan placing litter boxes in bathrooms to allow furry students to use. Target announced it was making all its bathrooms gender neutral. Edwards was a registered Democrat until this year. In January of last year, Brejcha wrote that his group will continue to work with and support Amistad but touted decisive new initiatives., Rest assured, he added, we mean to press this cause of election integrity to the hilt, as is our trademark.. I realize we have been advised, we have this letter, oh my gosh, but it doesnt sound like it has enough character or meat, Judd said. Kline pushed hard on the idea that state legislatures could ask Congress to delay the electoral certification to allow for time to investigate whether laws were faithfully followed. Will artificial intelligence overthrow its capitalist overlords? In Pennsylvania, Maine, Michigan, and Iowa in recent months, school board meetings have been disrupted by allegations that educators are giving special treatment to furry students. This is a "hot" topic with 19,500 searches/month. "He said, 'but mom they're scratching hissing and barking.' School districts in Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska have debunked claims that they. In January 2022, for example, unfounded rumors were circulated on social media . Fargo School Board member Jennifer Benson told The Forum that a student informed her some schools have litter boxes in restrooms for students who identify as furries. She says when her 14-year-old son came home from school and said classmates were dressing up in animal costumes, she initially urged him to just ignore them. Cafeteria tables are being lowered in certain @RoundRockISD middle and high schools to allow furries to more easily eat without utensils or their hands (ie, like a dog eats from a bowl), she tweeted. Antivax propaganda drives VAERS reports and antivaxers point to increased VAERS reports as proof that the vaccines are dangerous. 13, 2022 4:31 pm. There is a forum, Gallery, a new YouTube blogging system and now a live TV feature run by the website admins which is still in planning though operational. False. (WFRV) - A viral video of a UW-Oshkosh professor and a Wisconsin talk show host is causing some school districts in Wisconsin to respond to alleged 'Furry . Last week, a Tennessee school board banned the Holocaust graphic novel Maus, ostensibly on the grounds that its illustrations of unclothed mice were inappropriate. Then, people from another district said students are allowed to identify as dogs and wear dog collars. The recent health alert was based on an uptick in reports to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Long before the Thomas More Society and Kline joined together on election law, they had a different kind of relationship. The blogs noted that schools had denied the allegations, but the authors went on to say theyd heard more rumors from locals and people at the Clay County GOP booth at the county fair., Such rumors, if true, threatened to weaken the U.S. military, an Iowa commentator wrote. Going forward, the team plans to work on various election fronts, including preventing ineligible people from voting, according to the memo the society provided to ProPublica. The Michigan incident started when a mom of kids at the Midland School District, about 130 miles northwest of Detroit, spoke at a school board meeting about a rumor which she took as fact alleging the school was accommodating "furries" by providing litter boxes in unisex bathrooms. Both Dunn and Joe Strike, another furry historian and community member . The "litter boxes in schools" hoax (also called the litter box canard) is a false rumor alleging that certain North American schools provide litter boxes in bathrooms for students who "identify as cats", or who participate in the furry or otherkin subcultures. The president made baseless claims that millions of ballots were cast illegally in 2016, causing him to lose the popular vote. Patch OFurr, proprietor of the furry news site Dogpatch Press, tells The Daily Beast that many of the same people spreading bogus furry rumors are the same people agitating to ban books they don't like. So, of course, furries should be allowed into school because there is nothing necessarily wrong with it. Nevertheless, the allegations soon spread to Texas, where a GOP candidate (and activist with the right-wing parents group Moms For Liberty) added her own baseless claims about special privileges for furry students. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. While Arizona law splits election duties between the recorder and supervisors, many counties have given the recorder more authority over election procedures in the past, including Maricopa County for decades and, currently, Yuma County. COVID vaccines came with much stricter VAERS reporting requirements than other adult vaccines. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Its culture war, its control, and its not about protecting kids, OFurr explains. NOW accused him and others of conspiring to close down clinics through extreme measures, including blockades and mob violence; it sought a permanent injunction forbidding the groups from engaging in illegal conduct. The state Supreme Court ultimately suspended his law license indefinitely in 2013 for 11 violations of professional conduct rules, including misleading a judge and grand jury. For all of us independent news organizations, its no exception. Litter boxes in schools South Dakota, Furries in schools, Furries in Iowa schools litter box, Litter boxes in schools Fargo, Bath Iron . Healthcare providers are legally required to report all major adverse events following a COVID vaccine, whether they're plausibly connected to the vaccine or not. Ganahl is the latest in a string of Republican candidates nationwide to condemn furries. A furry might draw himself as a cartoon tiger, or dress up as a dragon at a convention for fellow. An unfounded anecdote about kitty litter boxes for role-playing students in public schools is the rumor that just won't quit, and especially in certain political circles. Its about control.. The tragic "furries" phenomenon is merely a symptom of the horrific and systemic child abuse masquerading as "education" that is taking place in government "schools." 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