USPIE’s Millstone Award goes to Portland superintendent for drag queen welcome-back video

This is unabashed, in-your-face recruitment. At least parents won’t be under any illusion that these government school officials have good intentions toward their children

The Portland Public Schools in Oregon opened their official welcome-back video for the 2026-27 school year with a drag performer called “Poison Waters.”

This eye-popping stunt earned Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong the October Millstone Award from United States Parents Involved in Education (USPIE).

USPIE’s Millstone Award is the award someone never wants to receive; it is given to the person involved in government schools who has committed the most egregious acts against children.

This video sounds like a bizarre parody from the show ‘Portlandia,’ but it’s not. This is unabashed, in-your-face recruitment. At least parents won’t be under any illusion that these government school officials have good intentions toward their children. They are proudly and openly corrupting them with perversity masquerading as ‘inclusion.’

Waters, also known as Kevin Cook, “has been a prominent part of Portland’s drag and LGBTQ community for nearly four decades,” rightnoworegon.com reported.

“Waters is more than a performer,” a web page about him at Portland State says. “She is a tireless advocate and educator and a fabulous personality deeply intertwined with the pulse of Portland — including a long-standing connection to Portland State University.”

In the video posted on Facebook, Cook appears in a dress, makeup and heavy jewelry, and wishes students and employees a successful school year. He tells viewers that despite the “hustle and bustle,” the school community should remember that “together we rise with excellence and purpose.” The video also includes messages from other Portland-area figures, including U.S. Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley and U.S. Democratic Rep. Maxine Dexter.

It is one thing to accept students as they present themselves. It is quite another to promote, encourage, and normalize what has been considered uniquely adult, explicit, and deviant behavior.

In 2024, Oregon recorded the highest percentage of students scoring below the National Assessment of Educational Progress in history, according to The Nation’s Report Card. Forty-eight percent of fourth-graders and 35% of eighth-graders fell below basic proficiency in reading, and 33% of fourth-graders and 45% of eighth-graders fell below basic proficiency in math.

The school district is creating a distraction from its mission to educate children to be able to read, write and do math. And it’s no wonder. Those schools are clearly failing. Parents should get their children out now.

To hear more from USPIE’s Founder and President, Sheri Few, tune in to the latest episode of USPIE’s podcast, “Unmasking Government Schools with Sheri Few,” on Tuesday, October 6, where Few is joined by Dr. Keri Ingraham of the Discovery Institute. On this episode, Few and Dr. Ingraham discuss alternatives to government schools, parental authority, federal involvement in education and an important area where she and USPIE disagree; government-funded school choice. Listen to “Unmasking Government Schools with Sheri Few” on YouTube, Facebook, Spotify and X.