Portland Public Schools (PPS) opened its 2026-27 school year with a welcome-back video for staff that featured drag performer Poison Waters, who addressed teachers, principals, and other employees. The video, posted on the district's official Facebook page, included Waters thanking staff for their dedication to students.
"I’m here to wish you all a successful 2026, 2027 school year and to thank all the amazing principals, teachers, and staff for your dedication to your students and their learning," Waters, whose legal name is Kevin Cook, said in the video. "While we can often get caught up in the hustle and bustle, it’s so important to remember that together we rise with excellence and purpose."
Waters, identified in the video as an advocate, educator, and host, is a longtime Portland performer. A Portland State University profile notes Waters taught a course on the history of drag performance at Portland Community College and received an honorary doctorate from Portland State in 2025.
The video's inclusion of a drag performer prompted criticism from education advocates who accused the district of promoting ideology. Corey DeAngelis, an education research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, stated that the video was an attempt to "groom young impressionable minds into gender ideology" and called it "free advertising for school choice."
"The government school system is trying to groom young impressionable minds into gender ideology. They want to brainwash other people’s kids and replace their families," DeAngelis told Fox News Digital. "The school system has overstepped their boundaries and needs to stay in its lane. The public school system is rubbing it in that they have control over children whether the parents like it or not. Kids don’t belong to the government. Parents are responsible for passing down values to their children, not government schools."
Sonja Shaw, a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction, suggested the choice to feature Waters was a deliberate ideological statement. "That wasn’t an accident. It was a choice. And it tells you exactly where the district’s priorities are," Shaw said. "Public schools exist to educate children in reading, writing, math, science and critical thinking. They are not stages for adult entertainment or ideological and cultural signaling."
Tina Descovich, CEO and co-founder of Moms for Liberty, also voiced opposition. "Portland Public Schools has been unabashed about its objectives: hijacking the classroom to push a sexualized curriculum and progressive viewpoints on impressionable children," Descovich stated. "We see exactly what this district (backed fully by teachers unions) is doing, and Moms for Liberty will keep fighting to protect our children from the left’s indoctrination and get students back to learning again."
The controversy emerged weeks after a lawsuit was filed against PPS by Portland mother Allison Roberts. Roberts alleges that district officials retaliated against her for objecting to gender-identity curriculum and an intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag at her children's elementary school. Portland Public Schools has declined to comment on the pending case.
The welcome-back video also included messages from Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley and Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Ore., among other public figures.