HARTFORD, Connecticut (LifeSiteNews) — A Connecticut school nurse was suspended and accused of “hateful rhetoric” after she publicly stated that an 11-year-old child at her school had been prescribed puberty-blocking drugs and that many students at the school identify as nonbinary without their parents’ knowledge.
Kathleen Cataford, 77, who worked at the Richard J. Kinsella Magnet School in Hartford, Connecticut, made the comments in a Facebook post responding to a local mom’s group in which mothers swapped recommendations for local schools.
EXCLUSIVE: Connecticut school nurse, 77, is suspended over ‘transphobic’ Facebook post revealing that student, 11, was on puberty blockers, 12 others were non-binary, and that teachers were helping some keep it secrethttps://t.co/QUnVfEiduN via @MailOnline
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) April 1, 2022
“Investigate the school system curriculum,” Cataford had recommended, according to the Daily Mail, calling Connecticut “a very socially liberal, gender confused state.”
Cataford went on to state that one young girl at her school has been put on hormone blockers, and that many students’ parents were being kept in the dark while their children identified at school as nonbinary.
“As a public school nurse, I have an 11yo female student on puberty blockers and a dozen identifying as nonbinary, all but two keeping this as a secret from their parents with the help of teachers, SSW [social workers] and school administration,” the school nurse said.
“Teachers and SSW are spending 37.5 hours a week influencing our children, not necessarily teaching our children what YOU think is being taught,” she continued, adding that “children are introduced to this confusion in kindergarten by the school SW who ‘teaches’ social and emotional regulation and school expectations.”
Cataford went on to highlight the fact that laws currently on the books prohibit the use of alcohol, tobacco, vaping, and cannabis for young people since children’s brains are still developing into their early 20s. However, doctors are allowed to “inject hormones into confused prepubescent children and perform genital mutilating surgery on adolescents!”
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The Daily Wire noted that while puberty blocking drugs are marketed “as being reversible,” it’s unclear that they truly are.
The outlet highlighted a study from 2017 in which researchers found that “there are virtually no published reports, even case studies, of adolescents withdrawing from puberty-suppressing drugs, and then resuming the normal pubertal development typical for their sex.”
Hartford School District officials responded to Cataford’s Facebook post without naming her, after the mother of the 11-year-old girl mentioned in the message discovered the social media post and notified school officials.
The district has since launched an investigation to decide whether or not to fire Cataford for her remarks.
Hartford Public Schools superintendent Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez released a statement affirming the schools’ “inclusive environment” and “responsibility” for children’s “health, well-being, social and emotional development, and safety.”
“Hartford Public Schools strives to provide an inclusive environment where all students feel seen, valued, respected, and heard,” Torres-Rodriguez said. “We uphold all of our staff to a high standard, entrusting them to be caretakers and leaders in the community. We as a school district are responsible for the health, well-being, social and emotional development, and safety of ALL of the children entrusted to our care. It is our responsibility to support our students’ growth, personal experiences, and social-emotional development.”
Torres-Rodriguez said the school district is taking the matter “very seriously,” adding that “Ensuring our schools are a safe place for students, staff and visitors is our highest priority.”
“Therefore, we took immediate action to remove this individual from our schools while we investigate,” Torres-Rodriguez added. “While at times the most hateful rhetoric is the loudest, it certainly doesn’t reflect the care, commitment, and acceptance that the vast majority of our teachers and staff practice every day.”
The 11-year-old girl’s family — who have spoken to media outlets on condition of anonymity — praised the school’s decision to suspend Cataford, telling local affiliate network WSFB that “as a family, we are very happy with how thoroughly and quickly the school and the district has taken action to both ensure the nurse is fully investigated and ensure the safety and privacy of our child.”
“They could not have done a better job,” the family said.
News of Cataford’s comments and subsequent suspension comes amid a deluge of reports that school officials have taught children about LGBTQ+ ideology without parental knowledge or consent, sparking legislative proposals including Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act to formally prohibit teachers from instructing young children about sexuality without permission.
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Florida’s new law was inspired in part by the story of Florida mom January Littlejohn, who stated that in 2020 her 13-year-old daughter informed her that school administrators were encouraging her to identify as transgender.
“Littlejohn’s daughter told her that school administrators had asked her about changing her name, which restroom she wished to use, and whether she wanted to sleep with boys or girls on school trips,” wrote Daily Wire founder and editor emeritus Ben Shapiro in an op-ed published on the conservative news site.
“According to the district, parents were to be cut out of the loop unless the 13-year-old gave her consent to their involvement,” he continued, adding that “the district stated that ‘outing a student, especially to parents, can be very dangerous to the student’s health and well-being.’”
“The school not only felt no duty to keep Littlejohn in the loop, they treated Littlejohn as an enemy to her own child,” Shapiro wrote.
Meanwhile, Littlejohn was not alone in being kept in the dark about school officials’ interest in encouraging her child to identify on the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
In Wisconsin, one school district made headlines when it announced that parents “don’t have the right” to know their child’s sexual identification.
During a presentation at a mandatory staff development day, teachers employed by the Eau Claire Area School District (ECASD) were told, “Parents are not entitled to know their kids’ [gender] identities. That knowledge must be earned.”