Arrr! Georgia scurvy school board ye be, firin' a teacher for readin' a controversial book on matters o' gender identity to wee scallywags!
2023-08-19
Avast ye scallywags! In the land o' Georgia, the swashbucklin' school board be givin' the heave-ho to a teacher who dared to read a tome to her young'uns, questionin' the notion of just two genders. Aye, a storm be brewin' o'er the land of education!
A school board in Georgia has voted to fire fifth-grade teacher Katie Rinderle for reading her students a book on gender identity that the district argues violated its policies and state law. Rinderle had been on leave for over a month and was terminated in March for reading the book "My Shadow Is Purple," which features a nonbinary character and challenges the concept of only two genders. The Cobb County School Board voted 4 to 3 in favor of Rinderle's termination, despite a recommendation from a three-person tribunal overseeing the hearing that sided with Rinderle to keep her job. Rinderle's attorney expressed disappointment with the decision, calling it an act of politics over policy.Rinderle argued that the book was inclusive and affirming, representative of diverse student identities. She stated that the district's decision sends a harmful message that not all students are worthy of affirmation in being their authentic selves. Rinderle mentioned that her students chose the book out of several options and that it was purchased at a school book fair. The district claims that Rinderle violated its rules and Georgia's new Divisive Concepts Law, which prohibits teachers from using controversial topics in their instruction.
Rinderle's firing can be appealed to the state Board of Education and potentially taken to court. This decision comes at a time when parents and Republican lawmakers across the country are attempting to remove LGBTQ+ subjects from school curriculum and libraries. Rinderle's attorney noted that teachers in Georgia are self-censoring due to these actions. The district mentioned that Rinderle should have known books were a sensitive area after previous complaints about another book she read. Rinderle argued that her principal had approved the book and said she would handle any complaints.