A group of sixth graders from a Michigan public school recently went on a field trip, where some of them reportedly “tried out pole dancing” at a restaurant with an attached lounge.
The incident from the November field trip was recently highlighted by Libs of TikTok.
Andrew Weaver, a trustee on the board for Rochester Community Schools, shared details of the incident, which occurred during a field trip organized by a teacher at Hart Middle School, Fox News reported. She was taking the kids to see the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and, according to Weaver, took the students to Niki’s Pizza for lunch.
Because of a lack of space in the restaurant, Weaver explained, the kids were taken into the adjoining lounge, which includes stripper poles. He shared photos and details to his Facebook page.
Weaver, who successfully ran for the trustee position amid growing concern and frustration over decisions made by district administrators, told Fox News the school was not clear or honest about what transpired during the field trip.
“How did we get here?” he asked. “How do we not just communicate clearly to parents what happened? A mistake was made and address it and make sure that we have the policies in place to prevent it from happening again in the future.”
“It’s not a witch hunt,” the trustee added. “No one’s going after anyone. It’s really just about how do we make sure that we communicate properly.”
Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast 👇
It should be noted this situation seems generally innocuous, given the lounge was closed at the time and was used simply out of necessity. Nevertheless, concerns over the school’s decision to use the space have persisted.
The owner of the restaurant and lounge, Agatha Kefallinos, told The Daily Caller it was “absolutely made known to” the school that, because of the number of students, they would have to use the nightclub space.
“Typically when we have a group of over 100 people, we give them the option of going to our second floor, which is operated as a club on Saturday nights but is closed during the day,” she said. “We’ve been doing this for 20 years. We’ve had dozens of school groups, and there was never an issue.”
“At the time of taking a reservation for a group of that size, we always make it very clear we can accommodate them on the second floor, but, as we said, the space is a club, and so it’s at their discretion at that point to come in or chose not to,” Kefallinos explained.
She noted, too, that the poles in the lounge are not used for sexualized performances “and have never been used for that purpose” but are instead “part of the decorations.”
As for the school district, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that the students did go to Niki’s for lunch, but refused to comment further on the incident in question.
“Parents and caregivers are always encouraged throughout the school year to contact their school administrator with questions or concerns,” said the representative. “Proposed field trips are evaluated by a curriculum team and require a parental/guardian permission slip. RCS may ask parents, caregivers, or other responsible adults to serve as field trip chaperones when appropriate.”
“Adult chaperons are required to complete background checks,” the spokesperson added. “The safety and security of our students, staff and school community is always our priority.”
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***