A somewhat confused politician stood up in Nebraska’s Senate on Monday and claimed that “furries” were dressing up in dog and cat costumes in the state’s schools and using litter boxes instead of toilets.
Republican State Senator Bruce Bostelman said he had been horrified to learn that students who self-identified as cats or dogs were being allowed to communicate in barks and meows in the classroom, and had been provided with cat litter rather than having to use conventional flush toilets.
His assertion has since been debunked by local school authorities, who say the "false" rumour is spreading among parents throughout the USA.
"I'm a little shocked," Bostelman said.
"It's something called furries. If you don't know what furries are it's where school children dress up as animals —cats or dogs—during the school day. They meow and they bark and they interact with their school, with their teachers in this fashion”.
Without specifying how he had come by the information, he added: “Now schools are wanting to put litter boxes in the schools for these children to use,” and asked “how is this sanitary?"
He said he’d been told about one particular student who had been refused a litter tray and had defecated on a classroom floor in protest.
"What is going on?" he asked. "Some kids can't wear an American flag and walk through the school in their shirt. And you keep them out of school?”
Bostelman and fellow Nebraska state senator Lynne Walz later got in touch with some of the schools mentioned in the rumours, and were were told in no uncertain terms that the stories were completely made up.
The bizarre rumour is not just contained to Nebraska.
In Texas, Carroll School District Superintendent Casey Burlau sad the rumour was spreading like wildfire among parents in the area, forcing him to issue a denial in February.
“The rumour is that our schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals," he said.
"This is simply and emphatically not true”.
Responding to a similar viral rumour that was circulating at the beginning of the year, Michigan’s superintendent of schools Michael Sharrow wrote: "Let me be clear – there is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation!
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"There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools."
He added: ”It is such a source of disappointment that I felt the necessity to communicate this message to you."
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