COLUMBIA, Mo. — Columbia Public Schools are catching flak for bringing students to a city event that concluded with a drag show. Parents were reportedly not notified that the drag performance would be part of the event.
The 2023 Columbia Values Diversity Celebration was held on Thursday morning, Jan. 19 at the Holiday Inn Expo Center. Columbia Public Schools brought approximately 30 district students to the sold-out event, with parental permission. But one parent, Tara Arnett, says she had no idea Diversity Celebration would include a drag show. Arnett's 13-year-old son has autism and is nonverbal.
"My son was invited by his school as a representative from the disability community," she told Lake Expo. "I found out about the drag performances after other kids that were there reported back to parents."
Arnett says she closely monitors the media her son is exposed to, and does not want him seeing things that are "sexually suggestive." "I don't know what kind of impact the performances made on him, but I know I wasn't given a say in the matter," she said. When asked if she would have approved of her son attending if she would have known about the drag performance, she answered, "I wouldn't have ok'd it."
She said when she emailed the school with her concerns, she received a reply that stated in part, "City officials oversee the planning and programming for the event, and other than the keynote speaker most of the program is unknown to the public." However, in advertising the event, the City's website notes it would include a performance by Nclusion+.
The group's website has a promo video at the top that depicts a drag queen dance performance.
The district referred Arnett to the City Council or Office of the City Manager if she had additional concerns.
Arnett says she's been called a bigot for speaking out. But she's not alone in her concern. In a statement given to ABC 17, the district noted it has been receiving a large volume of feedback from people beyond the district's borders. The incident caught the eye of Governor Mike Parson and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.
Parson Tweeted on Friday:
We are deeply concerned about reports that Columbia middle school students were subjected to adult performers during what is historically a MLK Day celebration. This is unacceptable.
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) January 20, 2023
And Bailey said he believes the school's decision to bring students to the event could "run afoul" of Missouri law, citing RSMo 170.015, which sets parameters on sex education in Missouri schools. He also noted a new law that went into effect in August of 2022 and prohibits "the provision of certain sexual material to a student."
Bailey Tweeted:
In an effort to protect children throughout the state, I directed a letter to the superintendent of Columbia Public Schools and the mayor of the City of Columbia for deliberately subjecting a group of middle school children to an adult-themed drag show performance. (1/7)
— Attorney General Andrew Bailey (@AGAndrewBailey) January 20, 2023
