A Cork school has notified gardai – over bogus claims that a student has decided to identify as a cat.
Skibbereen Community College bosses said they contacted authorities over crazy claims circulating on WhatsApp in recent days.
As well as making claims about a young student, the voicemail also said the child’s parents were demanding that the school recognise her as a feline.
READ MORE: Two-year-old boy who died choking on piece of fruit in Cork tragedy named
The school confirmed in a message to parents the voicemail was a hoax and said: “The message is without foundation and no element of it is true.”
Sources said that although gardai were aware of the message, no complaint has been made – and no crime has been committed.
It’s understood, however that the school did contact gardai over the matter.
A Garda spokesman said last night: “While An Garda Síochána is aware of the audio in circulation, we do not comment on the content of third party material.”
The WhatsApp voice note about the Cork school had said: "There's a girl in Junior Cert year who wants to be identified as a cat, and is identifying as a cat, and the parents are supporting her. She's looked for a litter tray in the school and the school have refused it and the parents are now suing the school.
"The pupil meowed at a teacher and the teacher barked back at her, like a dog, and the teacher has now been suspended."
The message's bogus claim seems to take inspiration from an infamous US lawmaker clip that went viral a few months ago.
In the clip Tennesse State Rep Mary Littleton puts her concern on record that children over there were "identifying as cats or dogs".
Another in the video added that school weren't disclosing the fact that they "were providing litter boxes" for such students.
There was no proof or record of any such incidents ever happening, leading to those spreading the lie being challenged on it.
In one case a school in the states had to come out and confirm it was a "ridiculous notion".
Earlier this week a school in Scotland had to deny an almost-identical claim that was made about a pupil there.
It's widely thought that these rumours circulate amongst right-leaning personalities who try to use the false story as an example of "woke culture going too far".
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