Everyone Relax: A Wisconsin School District Has Not Developed A Protocol For Its Scores Of Furries

The Waunakee School District in Wisconsin has had to come out and publicly say that no, it does not have an established protocol for dealing with furry students in their schools after a series of wild claims elevated the story to the national stage in recent days.

Randy Guttenberg, superintendent of the Waunakee School District, told Isthmus, "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."

The claims appear to have stemmed from the conservative Dr. Duke podcast, hosted by Dr. Duke Pesta. Dr. Pesta has recently given several talks where he's pushed a story that schools in Waunakee have instructed their students to not take pictures, mock or otherwise belittle furries in the classroom and that these furries are given preferential treatment to accommodate their lifestyle, such as being allowed to "lick their paws" instead of participating in gym class. Wisconsin radio host Vicki McKenna amplified emails purportedly from concerned parents about this policy on the podcast, where it was grabbed by the Libs of TikTok Twitter account.

INSANE: Multiple parents have come forward with information on @WaunakeeCSD’s “furry protocol.” The school reportedly lets students identify and act like furries.

I called the school and they immediately got hostile and refused to answer if they indeed have a furry policy. pic.twitter.com/x4BRsPpRqX

— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) April 1, 2022

There is no evidence, photographic or otherwise, to support the claim that furries are running rampant in Wisconsin schools, and it seems to entirely stem from an anonymous email sent to conservative podcast hosts, causing both Snopes and AP to assess the rumor as "false."

The story is another in what is becoming a minor moral panic about furries in conservative circles. While some conservative politicians are making headlines with their work to criminalize expressions of non-heterosexual sexualities in schools, a fringe crusade against furries has led to some wild rumors, including a rumor that a Michigan school district was providing litter boxes for its furry students. The claim made its way onto the Nebraska State Senate floor, where politicians sincerely argued about the uptick in litter boxes for humans. That claim also had no evidence and appears to have been a bit of unsubstantiated gossip.