Utah’s Nebo School District aims to equip students with skills to thrive academically and beyond. However, this preparation seems to entail consuming bugs and discouraging beef consumption, as a local middle school assigned sixth-graders an English project centered on the threat of human-caused climate change, which involved eating insects.
On March 7th, students were directed to construct a persuasive essay in favor of eating insects instead of cows, based on the assumption that mass production and consumption of insect-based food will have a lesser impact on weather patterns than beef production. The assignment was designed as interactive propaganda, prohibiting students from expressing disagreement with the premise in their papers. Some students were rewarded with extra credit for consuming insects, which the school district confirmed were obtained from a commercial supplier.
A concerned mother, Amanda Wright, confronted the school principal over the task, as it had made her daughter uneasy.
A form of “brainwashing” and constituted an attempt to promote a “sinister climate change religion.”
Wright asserted that the insect-eating essay was a form of “brainwashing” and constituted an attempt to promote a “sinister climate change religion.”
After her initial complaint, Wright had a meeting with school officials, which she recorded. In the recording, Principal Alison Hansen explained that the assignment aimed to discover supporting evidence for the notion of climate change.
Teacher Kim Cutler, who does not appear on the school’s current faculty page, stated that “all the evidence” indicates that insect consumption is beneficial for the environment. She added that she did not realize the topic would be seen as objectionable.
Wright’s daughter also gathered proof of climate indoctrination in her classroom.
“How come we can’t state our opinion and write that we shouldn’t be eating bugs?”
the sixth-grader questioned.“Because we don’t have any evidence to
support it,” replied Cutler.
Swedish scientists cautioned in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution in 2019 that the rapid promotion of insect farming and consumption may generate a new environmental issue, replacing an existing one.
While Cutler argued to Wright’s daughter that there was no evidence to support not consuming bugs, experts at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences warned that there is also insufficient evidence to confirm that mass insect farming will not result in disastrous consequences.
Researchers said the newly emerging insect-based food industry is being marketed as a sustainable substitute for other animal protein production systems. Nevertheless, due to the vast lack of knowledge regarding every aspect of production – from species selection, their living and feeding conditions, and potential risks of accidental release – it remains unclear what exact environmental benefits it may offer.
The scientists emphasized, “If ecological sustainability is to be a defining feature of mass insect farming for human consumption, ecologists must conduct research that is directly connected to the key factors involved in the industry’s expansion.”
“It’s strange that I assigned a topic with only one correct answer.” said Cutler.
Meanwhile, Cutler remarked to Wright’s daughter, “It’s strange that I assigned a topic with only one correct answer. It may be unpleasant, but we should consume insects since raising cows and other animals is damaging the environment. Therefore, we should balance our diet, reducing the land we use for cattle grazing to preserve the ozone layer.”
When the younger Wright objected, Cutler said, “There’s only one right answer to this essay. And it’s that Americans should be eating bugs. Everyone in the world is eating them, it’s healthy for the environment and there’s just, there’s only one right answer.”
“There’s only one right answer to this essay. And it’s that Americans should be eating bugs. Everyone in the world is eating them, it’s healthy for the environment and there’s just, there’s only one right answer.”
Cutler said.
As per Fox News Digital, Cutler later disclosed that the school district had promoted insect consumption during their training sessions.
In a statement, the district acknowledged that students had been given extra credit for consuming insects, and upon Wright expressing her concerns, the student was given the choice to select another topic. The district clarified that the objective of the assignment was to train students to find facts to support their argument and not to express their opinions. The district’s statement reads, “Remember this particular assignment is about finding facts versus opinions to support writing an argumentative essay.”
