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te Mātauranga.   Ministry of Education.  

     

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Kia ora

Thank you for your request for information below. The Ministry will consider and respond to your request in accordance with the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act).

Under section 15(1) of the Act, we are required to make and inform you of our decision on your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which your request is received. You can therefore expect to receive our decision on your request on or before the 4th of July 2023. If more than 20 working days are needed due to the potential workload and/or consultations involved in answering your request, we will notify you accordingly.

The Ministry may publicly release on our website the response to your request five days after you have received it. Any personal information will be removed.

In the interim, if you have any questions about your request, please email [email address].

Ngā mihi

Enquiries National Team | Ministry of Education ^MC
education.govt.nz | Follow us on Twitter: @educationgovtnz

-----Original Message-----
From: Matahiwi <[FOI #23024 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 6 June 2023 9:42 pm
To: Enquiries National <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Advice to schools on students who identify as animals or other non-human identities

[You don't often get email from [FOI #23024 email]. Learn why this is important at https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

Dear Ministry of Education,

For the period 1 January 2019 to now, please
provide:
- all records of any requests for advice or support you have received from any school or schools about how to manage or otherwise cater to a student or group of students who identify as an animal (sometimes referred to as a “furry”or “furries”), another life form (such as a tree) or any other non-human being or object.
- all records of internal MOE discussions about these requests
- all records of advice provided to schools in relation to these requests
- copies any other advice provided to any school or schools about how to manage or cater to students who identify as a non-human life form or other object.

Please note that I am not seeking the name of any school, principal/teacher/board member/ student. However it would be extremely helpful if, in relation to requests from/advice to an individual school, the school could be given a unique identifier so it is possible to see if some schools have requested advice in relation to more than one student.

Thanks
Matahiwi

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #23024 email]

Is [Ministry of Education request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry of Education? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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________________________________

DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the Ministry.

hide quoted sections

Tçnâ koe Matahiwi

 

Thank you for your email of 6 June 2023 to the Ministry of Education
requesting the following information:

 

1) all records of any requests for advice or support you have received
from any school or schools about how to manage or otherwise cater to a
student or group of students who identify as an animal (sometimes referred
to as a “furry” or “furries”), another life form (such as a tree) or any
other non-human being or object.

2) all records of internal MOE discussions about these requests

3) all records of advice provided to schools in relation to these requests

4) copies any other advice provided to any school or schools about how to
manage or cater to students who identify as a non-human life form or other
object.

 

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982
(the Act).

 

In response to your request, the Ministry has not provided any advice to
schools or received any requests for advice from schools regarding any
students who identify as an animal, another life form or any other
non-human being or object. As such we are refusing you request under
section 18(e) of the Act, as the information requested does not exist.

 

All schools in New Zealand are run by boards that are responsible for
setting day-to-day policies and procedures for their schools. Under the
Education and Training Act 2020, school boards are required to ensure that
their school is a physically and emotionally safe place for all students
and staff, and is inclusive of, and caters for, students with differing
needs. You can read more about this in the Act at:
[1]https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ....

 

We are aware of online articles and social media posts relating to claims
that litter boxes were placed in student bathrooms in the United States
for those who identify as “furries”. The existence of both child “furries”
and litter boxes in bathrooms was debunked the next month by Reuters, but
similar stories continued to spread among schools in other states.

 

We have also seen reports of a similar story regarding Whangarei Girls
High School where a petition had allegedly been raised to supply litter
boxes in bathrooms for furries. In an interview with The Spinoff, acting
Principal Sonya Lockyer confirmed that this story was untrue.

 

Schools play an important and trusted role in responding to
mis/disinformation by teaching our young people critical thinking so they
can make reasoned judgements about what they are reading, seeing and
hearing. However, this responsibility stretches beyond schools and into
our wider communities. We all have a part to play in challenging
mis/disinformation and supporting young people to do the same with
confidence.

 

Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five
working days. Your name and contact details will be removed.

 

Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to
review my decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the
Act. You can do this by writing to [2][email address] or to
Office of the Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

  

Nâku noa, nâ,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[3]education.govt.nz

He mea târai e mâtou te mâtauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ôna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[4][IMG]

 

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DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.education.govt.nz/
4. https://www.education.govt.nz/

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Tēnā koe mō tō īmēra mai ki te Tāhuhu o Thank you for your email to the
te Mātauranga.   Ministry of Education.  

     

He urupare aunoa tēnei hei whakaatu kua This is an auto generated response
tae mai tō īmēra confirming your email has been
ki a mātou. Kaua noa e whakautu i tēnei received. Please do not respond to this
karere.   message.  

     

Mea ake nei ka urupare tonu atu mātou ki We will respond to your email as soon
tō īmēra.   as possible.  

 

  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.

hide quoted sections

Tēnā koe Matahiwi

 

Thank you for bringing to our attention that there may be information in
scope of your request that was not identified initially. In preparing our
response, we asked each of our regional offices to identify whether they
had received any requests for advice in line with your request, and each
region returned a nil response. The Ministry has also not developed any
overarching policy or advice specifically to support schools with such
matters.

 

We would be happy to revisit our previous response by undertaking a
further search to identify whether any information was missed. To assist
us with that, could you please provide further detail relating to the
situation you refer to, ideally naming the specific school or at least the
region in question? If you wish to remain anonymous, you’re welcome to
email [1][Ministry of Education request email] from a personal address, as
the FYI forum automatically publishes all correspondence relating to a
request.

 

Once we receive this additional information from you, we will confirm with
the relevant office or education advisor.

  

Nāku noa, nā,

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

[2]education.govt.nz

He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai
ōna huanga
We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent
outcomes
[3]Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

-----Original Message-----

From: Matahiwi <[4][FOI #23024 email]>

Sent: Wednesday, 21 June 2023 12:56 pm

To: Enquiries National <[5][email address]>

Subject: Re: OIA: 1312162 - Advice to schools on students who identify as
animals or other non-human identities

 

Dear Enquiries National,

 

Thank you for your response.

 

I am concerned that you may not have conducted a thorough enough search of
your records, particularly those of your regional advisors.

 

My partner is on a Board of Trustees for a high school which has two
students who identify as cats. The board, via the Principal, did receive
advice from its regional advisor about how to manage this situation.  That
advice alluded to the ministry having provided advice to other schools
facing similar situations.

 

Can you please conduct a more thorough search of your records, including
any handwritten notes or recollections of discussions that have taken
place with schools.

 

Notably, the advice our school received was that they were not allowed to
challenge the misinformation that the students are in fact cats, when they
quite clearly are humans who probably need support at a vulnerable time in
their life. This seems problematic in terms of your statement that
"Schools play an important and trusted role in responding
tomis/disinformation by teaching our young people critical thinking so
they can make reasoned judgements" and that we "all have a part to play in
challenging mis/disinformation and supporting young people to do the same
with confidence."

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Matahiwi

 

-----Original Message-----

 

Tçnâ koe Matahiwi

 

 

 

Thank you for your email of 6 June 2023 to the Ministry of Education 
requesting the following information:

 

 

 

1) all records of any requests for advice or support you have received 
from any school or schools about how to manage or otherwise cater to a 
student or group of students who identify as an animal (sometimes
referred  to as a “furry” or “furries”), another life form (such as a
tree) or any  other non-human being or object.

 

2) all records of internal MOE discussions about these requests

 

3) all records of advice provided to schools in relation to these requests

 

4) copies any other advice provided to any school or schools about how to 
manage or cater to students who identify as a non-human life form or
other  object.

 

 

 

Your request has been considered under the Official Information Act 1982 
(the Act).

 

 

 

In response to your request, the Ministry has not provided any advice to 
schools or received any requests for advice from schools regarding any 
students who identify as an animal, another life form or any other 
non-human being or object. As such we are refusing you request under 
section 18(e) of the Act, as the information requested does not exist.

 

 

 

All schools in New Zealand are run by boards that are responsible for 
setting day-to-day policies and procedures for their schools. Under the 
Education and Training Act 2020, school boards are required to ensure
that  their school is a physically and emotionally safe place for all
students  and staff, and is inclusive of, and caters for, students with
differing  needs. You can read more about this in the Act at:

[1][6]https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ....

 

 

 

We are aware of online articles and social media posts relating to claims 
that litter boxes were placed in student bathrooms in the United States 
for those who identify as “furries”. The existence of both child “furries”

and litter boxes in bathrooms was debunked the next month by Reuters, but 
similar stories continued to spread among schools in other states.

 

 

 

We have also seen reports of a similar story regarding Whangarei Girls 
High School where a petition had allegedly been raised to supply litter 
boxes in bathrooms for furries. In an interview with The Spinoff, acting 
Principal Sonya Lockyer confirmed that this story was untrue.

 

 

 

Schools play an important and trusted role in responding to 
mis/disinformation by teaching our young people critical thinking so they 
can make reasoned judgements about what they are reading, seeing and 
hearing. However, this responsibility stretches beyond schools and into 
our wider communities. We all have a part to play in challenging 
mis/disinformation and supporting young people to do the same with 
confidence.

 

 

 

Please note, we may publish this response on our website after five 
working days. Your name and contact details will be removed.

 

 

 

Thank you again for your email. You have the right to ask an Ombudsman to 
review my decision on your request, in accordance with section 28 of the 
Act. You can do this by writing to [2][email address] or to  Office of the
Ombudsman, PO Box 10152, Wellington 6143.

 

  

 

Nâku noa, nâ,

 

Official and Parliamentary Information | Ministry of Education | ED

 

[3]education.govt.nz

 

He mea târai e mâtou te mâtauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai 
ôna huanga  We shape an education system that delivers equitable and
excellent  outcomes  [4][IMG]

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[7][FOI #23024 email]

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[8]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISCLAIMER:
This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Education accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Ministry of Education request email]
2. http://www.education.govt.nz/
3. https://www.education.govt.nz/
4. mailto:[FOI #23024 email]
5. mailto:[email address]
6. https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ...
7. mailto:[FOI #23024 email]
8. https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

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