REDMOND, OR -- An urban myth and political talking point about school inclusion has made it to Central Oregon. "I just want to say clearly to everyone: there are no litter boxes in our bathrooms. There have never been any litter boxes in our bathrooms, and there will never be any litter boxes in our bathrooms," Redmond Schools Superintendent Dr. Charan Cline tells KBND News.

He says concerns over the rumor have picked up in recent weeks, "Our principals get letters, our teachers get letters. I mean, we got a letter two days ago at the district office; people talking about us having litter boxes in the bathrooms." 

According to national media reports, the rumor started on social media in 2021 and proliferated at school board meetings around the country where districts found themselves addressing a myth about accommodating students who allegedly identify as animals. Now Redmond is among them. "It’s simply not true," says Dr. Cline, "And, if you think about it just a little bit, it doesn’t make a ton of sense."

It’s become political fodder at campaign rallies around the country this election season and is now so prolific, Wikipedia recently created a page dedicated to debunking the myth. 

"I’ve talked to many, many Superintendents," says Cline, "We’re all getting barraged with emails and letters saying, ‘why are you putting litter boxes in your bathrooms?’ And, we’re not. Nobody has. The power of the propaganda on this is kind of amazing. It’s like an urban myth; we don’t know where it comes from. We don’t know why it’s being propagated."

File photo