Michigan Mom Says Daughters NSFW Art Projected Was Misinterpreted: ‘It’s A Freaking Bow Tie’ [Video]

A Michigan mom is criticizing her 11-year-old daughter’s school for its handling of an NSFW art project that was just misinterpreted by the fifth grader’s teacher. 

Sierra Carter received a call from her daughter’s elementary school teacher stating the girl had drawn an “inappropriate” picture during art class. A male student approached the teacher to let her know that Carter’s daughter had drawn “boy parts on her pig project.”

According to her mom, Carter’s daughter explained that she drew a bow tie on the pig, not male genitalia. The teacher gave the picture to the school’s principal, who advised to write the student up.

The following week, Carter brought her daughter to school so she could meet with school officials and see the art for herself. She told Yahoo Life that attached to the drawing was a piece of paper that described how her daughter reacted to the teacher’s questioning of the picture. She was advised it would be placed in her student file.

“As soon as I look at it, I’m like, ‘Are you freaking kidding me?” Carter explained in her now-viral TikTok video. “It’s a freaking bow tie!’

@sierraleann30

I can’t make this crap up.#bullies #angrymom #kidprojects #bowtie

♬ Collide (sped up) – Justine Skye

She believes that her daughter was failed by the adults at the elementary school and should have “shut this down.” 

“You can’t just sit there and assume or ostracize a child for something like that,” she told the outlet. “Because one boy thinks it’s something, that’s the word you’re gonna take?”

After getting home from the school, Carter decided to vent her frustrations on TikTok. Her video has been more than 600,000 times and has almost 60,000 likes. Many of the 18,000 comments the video has racked up suggest Carter escalate the issue to the Superintendent of the school district.

“Teacher here… bow tie, but woulda had to show my fellow teachers because it’s cute and funny,” @pattydg222 wrote. “Nothing more.

Several other people suggested Carter frame the drawing and give it to the principal, teacher, and social worker. 

“I would frame it and give it to the teacher and principal as a gift,” @heather_4255 wrote with a laughing crying emoji. 

The school district issued a statement to Yahoo Life, saying, “it is unfortunate that a one-sided narrative has been created on social media that paints our staff in a negative light. As with every situation, there are two sides to this story.”

“In this case, a student appropriately brought concerns to the attention of our staff,” the district’s statement read. “In response, our staff handled the situation with compassion and discretion. Staff contacted the student’s parents to discuss the situation. No student was singled out or ostracized. Every effort was made to protect the privacy and dignity of all students. Nothing has been placed in any student’s school records related to this matter.”

John Denney, the district’s Superintendent, confirmed to the outlet that the drawing was not placed in Carter’s daughter’s student file. However, there are “notes that can be referred back to if there are any significant issues through the end of the year,” an email to Carter states.

Carter believes the situation with her daughter was mishandled and could have been used as a teaching moment instead.