Portland Public Schools (PPS) is starting the 2026-2027 school year exactly how you would expect: with high-production-value public relations reels, woke buzzwords, and a healthy dose of administrative delusion.
On August 28, 2026, the official PPS social media account dropped a "Welcome Back" video reel targeting teachers, principals, and staff. Set to upbeat, generic music, the reel proudly boasts the district's new guiding principles for the school year: "excellence," "purpose," and, wait for it, "radical joy." The post was accompanied by hashtags like `#TogetherWeRise` and `#radicaljoy`.
But the real shocker isn't just the progressive jargon. Instead of featuring K-12 educators or academic leaders, the primary face welcoming Portland teachers and staff back to school is local drag queen performer "Dr. Poison Waters" (whose actual name is Kevin Cook). Waters (who is not a medical or academic doctor) appears in the official video, preaching that "radical joy" is a "purposeful approach to education" and "a joy that shows up even on the hard days."
You can watch the official video reel below to witness the administration's choices firsthand:
*(If the player does not load, you can access the video directly on [Facebook Reels](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1054279174118632).)*
Why is a K-12 public school district prioritizing the promotion of adult drag performers to welcome staff and students back? The message from parents is clear: Stop the political propaganda. Stop pushing drag culture into K-12 spaces. Stop the progressive activism.
Schools exist to teach foundational academics like reading, writing, math, and science, not to serve as a platform for adult entertainment and political agendas.
The Real PPS: Budget Cuts, Staff Layoffs, and School Closures
While PPS executives spend taxpayer dollars filming reels featuring drag queens talking about "radical joy," the district is currently facing a catastrophic administrative and financial crisis.
Due to plummeting enrollment and a massive budget deficit, PPS is currently in the middle of a highly contentious school consolidation process. The district is actively discussing the closure of between 10 and 20 schools. Hundreds of teachers, support staff, and classroom aides are facing layoffs or involuntary transfers. Standard academic resources are being slashed, class sizes are rising, and basic facilities are falling into disrepair.
For the families and educators in Portland, there is nothing "joyful" about losing their local neighborhood schools. To release a high-budget video lecturing stressed-out staff about "radical joy" while handing out pink slips and preparing to shutter up to 20 campuses is a masterclass in administrative tone-deafness.
Factual Background: PPS's Long-Standing Obsession with Drag Culture
The choice to feature "Dr. Poison Waters" in the back-to-school reel hits close to home for parents because PPS has a long and documented history of bringing drag queen culture into school-sanctioned spaces:
- Cleveland High School's Drag Queen Bingo: In February 2026, the Cleveland High School PTA organized and hosted an official "Drag Queen Bingo Night" to fundraise for Class of 2026 graduation activities. The school-sanctioned event featured performances by local drag artist Binkyee Bellflower, drawing criticism from parents who believe adult performance art has no place in K-12 education.
- The Atkinson Elementary School Incident: In May 2023, Atkinson Elementary School scheduled an after-school Pride festival designed to feature BIPOC drag queens performing and reading to children, with a focus on "gender exploration." The event was only canceled after a wave of national social media attention (led by accounts like Libs of TikTok) and safety concerns forced the principal to back down.
- MLC's Drag Queen Bingo Nights: The Metropolitan Learning Center (MLC), a K-12 alternative school within PPS, has repeatedly hosted "Drag Queen Bingo" community evenings, elevating drag culture as a central pillar of school-community activities.
Restoring Sanity Amidst Legal Battles
The back-to-school PR push also ignores the massive legal trouble PPS has brought upon itself. The district is currently fighting a major federal civil rights lawsuit filed in August 2026 by Portland mother Allison Roberts.
Roberts was issued a one-year trespass ban by the district after she publicly objected to gender identity lessons and the display of the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag at Meriwether Lewis Elementary School. The lawsuit alleges that PPS actively violated her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, retaliating against her simply for demanding parental transparency and opposing ideological grooming in her child's classroom.
Between federal lawsuits, massive school closures, and plummeting test scores, PPS has plenty of work to do. But instead of focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic, the administration is begging teachers to embrace "radical joy" while social media commentators point out the ongoing absurdity of a district obsessed with activist jargon and drag queen events.
It is time to end the distraction. Parents and teachers do not need "radical joy" marketing; they need functional schools, parental rights, and a return to basic, objective K-12 education.