A teacher’s dismissal decision elementary school teacher in Georgia is upheld following her reading the book for children on gender and identity in her fifth-grade class earlier in the year.
The Cobb County School Board of Education approved 4-3 in a vote on parties to confirm Katie Rinderle’s firing, ruling against an appeals tribunal that had ruled that Rinderle shouldn’t be dismissed.
“The district is pleased that this difficult issue has concluded; we are very serious about keeping our classrooms focused on teaching, learning, and opportunities for success for students,” the school board said in an announcement Friday.
Rinderle was a teacher for Due West Elementary School, located in Marietta, Ga., and also read the tale book “My Shadow Is Purple” written by Australian writer Scott Stuart to her class during March.
The book tells about one child, who thinks of his mother’s reflection being “as pink as a blossoming cherry” as well as his father’s shadow, which is “blue as a berry,” and claims that their shadows are blue. A few parents expressed displeasure, however, Rinderle stated that other parents had offered their approval for the book’s lesson.
Rinderle an educator with more than 10 years of experience, was exiled from her class as well as the Cobb County School District accused that she was in violation of the district’s guidelines on how to teach controversial topics and asked her to quit or risk losing her position. The district issued her with an officially-signed notice of termination on June 6.
Rinderle attempted to rescind her dismissal as a result of a hearing before a panel comprised made up of retired teachers, chosen by the Cobb County Board of Education, determined following an inquiry that even though she was in violation of district policy but she was not removed from the school.
On Thursday, on Thursday, the Cobb County School Board of Education was able to vote on a partisan basis to uphold the ruling of the tribunal. three Democrats opposed the decision to remove the teacher, and four Republican legislators confirmed it.
The district attorney for the school district Sherry Culves, who was speaking in the past month during a meeting, argued she believes that “the Cobb County School District is extremely committed to making the classroom a safe and neutral space for children to study. One-sided views on politics and social issues, or religions is not appropriate to our schools.”
Some conservative legislators from schools in Florida, Virginia, and Texas among others have taken measures recently to introduce a law that restricts how questions related to race, gender, and sexuality are dealt with in schools.
Books that contain LGBTQ+ features have also received more attention in certain states. In the past year, the Federal government decided that the Georgia school district’s elimination of books featuring Black as well as LGBTQ characters might have created a “hostile environment” for students and teachers,
While the nation is facing an unprecedented rise in the number of attempts to remove books from schools libraries as well as classrooms. Removal of books could have violated student rights to civil liberties, says Department of Education Dept. declares
“I am disappointed in the district’s decision to terminate me for reading an inclusive and affirming book — one that is representative of diverse student identities,” Rinderle declared in an announcement via her legal representation who is her legal representatives, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
“The district sends an unintentional message that every student is worthy of acceptance for being the unapologetic and true self. The decision is built on deliberately vague policies that will lead to more teachers censoring themselves in the fear of not knowing the line of invisible lines will be determined.”
Rinderle stated that she bought the book for children at the fair for books at school and requested her 10 and 11-year-old pupils to cast their votes over a selection of books she had available to them. The students “overwhelmingly chose” Stuart’s book in accordance with the SPLC.
“After the reading, the class discussed the book’s message of acceptance of oneself and others and embracing diverse and complex identities and experiences,” the author said in a note. Her students were then asked to assist her with self-reflective poetry in which they expressed their feelings following the reading.
The author of the book and the human rights advocacy group PEN America were among those who affirmed their support for Rinderle in the spring of this year after the news of the dismissal was made public.
PEN America said it was “shocking” that she was fired from her position. “Unfortunately the climate for public education continues to be chilled by these harmful decisions to discipline educators for simply doing their jobs,” the organization stated. Montgomery County principals are concerned about school books that contain LGBTQ characters
Stuart In a TikTok video in a TikTok video, stated that the choice to take the decision was “gross, it’s disgusting.”
“This whole thing just really goes to show how much more interested the school system in the U.S. is in playing politics than they are in educating kids.”The latest culture war casualty High school musical
“Rinderle is the first known public school teacher to be fired under Georgia’s trio of censorship laws passed in 2022,” according to SPLC. The law seeks to block teaching “divisive concepts” in classrooms and permit the removal or limitation of materials that are considered harmful to education.
“Public schools have become the political battleground between those who support the teaching of historically accurate, inclusive school curriculums and right-wing politicians who seek to erase our nation’s uncomfortable history,” SPLC stated in the form of a statement.
“What happened to me is not just about me,” Rinderle stated in a similar declaration. “Censorship is not only a threat to our students, teachers, and public school classrooms — but to our democracy at its core.”
A local grandmother, Pamela Reardon, welcomed the choice and said she was a “patriot” during Thursday’s board meeting. She said it was the parents’ decision, not the teachers to determine if they wish to introduce “cultural fads” to their kids.
The grandmother said to reporters following the meeting: “I don’t want the teachers teaching. I would like parents to be the parents, and for the teacher to be a teacher and that’s all it is.”
The Cobb County School District covers 128 schools with a total of 107,000 pupils, making the Georgia’s second-largest education district. Rinderle may contest her dismissal before the Georgia State Board of Education and seek legal recourse.
