A video of a central Michigan school board meeting went national in mid-January after a parent claimed that a “nefarious” agenda had taken hold of public schools in her county.

In the Dec. 21, 2021, YouTube video, which has over 80,000 views, Lisa Hansen says during the Midland Public Schools board meeting she had been told there was a litter box in the bathroom of at least one local school for students who self-identify as cat “furries.”

“I’m still wrapping my brain around this a little bit, but yesterday I heard something and I was stunned … I’d even use the word ‘furious,'” she says. “I heard that at least one of our schools, in our town, has, in one of the unisex bathrooms, a litter box for the kids that identify as cats I am really upset, as a parent, that my child is put in an environment like that.”

In an email sent to parents, staff and community members on Jan. 20, Midland Public Schools Superintendent Michael Sharrow denied the claim that “litter boxes were provided within MPS student restrooms for those who identify themselves as ‘furries.'”

“Let me be clear there is no truth whatsoever to this false statement/accusation! There have never been litter boxes within MPS schools,” he wrote. “It is such a source of disappointment that I felt the necessity to communicate this message to you.”

Instant Insights /

Fact check: No, a Michigan public school did not provide litter boxes for students identifying as cats

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