Texas school faces backlash for reported statements made tracking student menstrual cycles
Annie Gathings, a parent of a sixth grader at the middle school, said she was "shocked" when she heard about the alleged comments from the teacher.
A Texas middle school is receiving backlash after a teacher allegedly told a student that the school would begin tracking female students' menstrual cycles.
The alleged statement was made by a female teacher at Clack Middle School, a public school a part of the Abilene Independent School District (ISD) in Abilene, Texas. The details of the conversation have not been shared publicly.
"During a conversation between one female teacher and one female student, the teacher made a comment that did not meet our standards," Abilene ISD said in a statement shared with Paste BN. "The teacher made no mention of a school program for tracking student menstrual cycles. There is no such program in Abilene ISD and there never will be. The district took prompt action to investigate in response to the teacher’s comment, and the situation has been addressed with appropriate staff consequences."
Parent questions validity of situation
Abilene resident Annie Gathings has a daughter in sixth grade at Clack Middle School. She told Paste BN that she learned of the alleged incident on Thursday, Oct. 24 and was "shocked" by it. Gathings said her daughter told her the teacher was at school on Monday.
Reflecting on the alleged incident, Gathings said she is unsure of its validity.
"This could all have just been a rumor started by a student. Since the teacher has returned, I can only assume it was made out to be a much bigger deal than it was," Gathings told Paste BN. "But if she did say those things, she has no business returning to the school. I can't imagine how uncomfortable the female students are around her after hearing what she allegedly said, but I trust the school fully investigated the situation and made a decision that was appropriate."
The school district did not immediately respond to questions from Paste BN about when the alleged incident occurred and if the female teacher has returned to school.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.