US talk radio host Vicki McKenna is the latest person to fall for the urban myth about schools making adjustments for students identifying as animals.
The Wisconsin based radio identity was a guest on the conservative podcast the Dr Duke Show, hosted by academic Dr Duke Pesta. McKenna told the audience listeners had sent her emails claiming that the Waunakee School District were making special adjustments for students who were “furries” and identified as cats and dogs.
McKenna shared a message from a grandmother who claimed that students who were furries were being allowed to choose whether they speak or not in class, could opt out of gym class, and often sat at the feet of teachers “licking their paws” as well as barking, hissing and making other animal noises.
The listener claims that other students were being instructed to accept the behaviour of the furries as it was their identity, and had been banned from taking pictures of the cat and dog students.
McKenna said she was not being “punked” by the listener, because after she read the email on-air many parents reached out to her and told they’d also heard of the new rules for furries.
The radio host said it was not hard to believe the email about the furries takeover because school had been promoting the “idea that kids switch genders and then declare themselves boys if they’re girls or vice versa.”
There is no truth to the claim, and Randy Guttenberg, the superintendent of the Waunakee School District quickly shot down the rumours.
“I am aware of the misinformation that is circulating on social media. The Waunakee Community School District does not have protocols for furries, nor do we have an issue with disruptions in our school and classrooms.” Guttenberg told local news outlet Isthmus.
The claim from the radio host in the latest in a long line of similar stories emerging mainly in the USA. Researchers in the USA say the tale of students identifying as cats can be traced back across the USA to various occurrences over the last 20 years.
Recently claims have arisen across the USA in Nebraska, Ohio, Utah, Michigan, Arkansas and Texas. There’s also been claims of cat identifying students in Canada.
The basic story is students are identifying as cats, and some part of the school world is being adjusted for their special needs. Often the claim is that kitty litter boxes are being put in unisex bathrooms, or tables in the cafeteria are being lowered so students can eat like animals.
Recently the ABC’s Media Watch cast doubt over a report shared by several Australian media outlets including Sky News, Channel 10 and The Daily Mail.
The Australian report originated in Brisbane’s Courier Mail where Associate Editor Kylie Lang claimed that students at a Brisbane girls school were identifying as cats and foxes and being allowed to cut holes in their uniforms, and not being issued infractions for breaking the school’s uniform policy. Lang also reported the students at the Queensland school were spending time licking their paws.
Lang has dismissed suggestions that her report is an urban myth and says she and the paper stand by its accuracy.
OIP Staff
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