No, NH students aren’t using litter boxes, school officials say after Bolduc’s claims

Pinkerton Academy was quick to quash a claim made by Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc last weekend that the school places litter boxes in the classrooms for students who identify with the subculture known as furries.

“It has come to our attention that at a recent event in Claremont, Don Bolduc named Pinkerton in false claims suggesting that unhygienic, disturbing practices are taking place in our classrooms and spaces on campus,” school officials said in a statement posted to Twitter on Monday. “We want to assure our community that Mr. Bolduc’s statements are entirely untrue.”

The claims were made at campaign events last week, according to a Valley News reporter who covered an event in Claremont and an audio recording of another event in North Hampton published by CNN on Sunday.

In the recording, Bolduc, who is running against incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan, can be heard saying that some New Hampshire schools allow students to behave like cats in the classroom, hissing and licking themselves and others. He specifically named Pinkerton Academy, located in Derry, and also mentioned the town of Dover.

The Dover School District has also refuted the claim. There are no litter boxes in Dover’s classrooms, superintendent William Harbron confirmed Wednesday.

The claim is an urban myth that has become a common GOP talking point in states nationwide, and plays on two of the party’s divisive issues: gender identity and education accommodations. Last month, NBC reported that at least 20 conservative candidates and elected officials have made the public school furry litter box claim in various states this year. There is no evidence that this is true in any U.S. school, according to Reuters Fact Check.

Furries are a subculture of people who share an interest in anthropomorphic animals, and sometimes roleplay in costume.

Bolduc also used the term “fuzzies” to describe the practices he alleged.

School districts in Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Michigan have all debunked rumors that they have accommodated children identifying as animals in response to what has become known as “furry panic” in their communities.

Pinkerton Academy, it seems, hoped for more diligence from politicians to avoid similar confusion.

“We invite all political candidates to speak with members of our administration or visit our campus so they can inform themselves about our school before making claims about what occurs here,” Pinkerton Academy’s statement said.