NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — School officials from two mid-state school systems — as well as the Tennessee Department of Education — say there is no evidence to support a claim a Tennessee state senator made during a legislative committee meeting this week.
That claim: that some rural school districts in Tennessee are giving litter boxes to children identifying as "furries" — a real subculture consisting of people who like to dress up as, and in some cases behave like, animal characters.
Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, made the claims during a meetingof the Government Operations Joint Subcommittee on Education, Health and General Welfare on Tuesday.
Rep. Mary Littleton, R-Dickson, first brought up the topic of furries while discussing the Tennessee Public Charter School Commission.
"Do charter schools allow the furries to come as a furry into class, which is children identifying as cats or dogs?" Littleton asked the commission's chair Tom Griscom and executive director Tess Stoval.
"No, ma'am," Stoval replied.
"We're hearing that's a problem across the state now, so — and I think it's a big problem," Littleton replied.
Sen. Bowling followed up with questioning of her own on the topic, calling it a "growing crisis."
"Unfortunately, I'm hearing this in my rural districts, where maybe schools are not fully disclosing that they are allowing children who identify as snakes, cats — whatever — they're providing litter boxes for the cats, and obviously its very disruptive to the learning process," Bowling said.
But NewsChannel 5 could not find any evidence to back up either Bowling's or Littleton's claims.
It turns out, the claim about litter boxes in schools, has spread nationwide, originating from a Facebook post from someone in Oklahoma. Facebook has labeled the post as "missing context," while labeling some of the comments as "false information."
The nonpartisan fact-checking website PolitiFact gave the claim a "Pants on Fire" rating — a designation the group reserves for statements that are both inaccurate and "ridiculous" after finding several school districts in other states said it wasn't true.
During the committee meeting Tuesday, Sen. Bowling did not clarify from which district she heard the rumor about staff handing out litter boxes, and emails to both her and her assistant were not immediately returned on Friday. But officials from several school systems in Bowling's senate district say they have no evidence to back up her claim.
"There are no instances of this," said Zach Birdsong with Tullahoma City Schools.
"We do not have any instances of litter boxes being provided so it is not causing any problems," said Grant Swallows, Director of Warren County Schools.
The Tennessee Department of Education said it also hasn't heard of it happening anywhere in the state.
"The department receives frequent communication from school districts and parents with questions and requests for guidance and technical assistance. The topics cover a broad ranges of issues from student discipline to cheerleader tryouts and everything in between. The department has not received communication from parents or school districts on this topic."
Victoria Robinson, TN Department of Education Assistant Commissioner of Communications and Engagement
NewsChannel 5 has also reached out to school directors in Grundy, Marion, Franklin, Sesquatchie, Coffee and Van Buren counties — the six other counties that Sen. Bowling represents — who have not immediately responded.
Rep. Littleton also did not immediately return a request for comment.
