A decision to fire an elementary school teacher from Georgia has been upheld, after she read a children’s book on gender identity to her fifth-grade class earlier this year.
The Cobb County School Board of Education voted 4-3 along party lines to uphold Katie Rinderle’s termination, overruling a tribunal that had said she should not be fired. “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 board of education said in a statement Friday.
Rinderle worked at Due West Elementary School, in Marietta, Ga., and read the storybook “My Shadow Is Purple” by Australian author Scott Stuart to her class in March.
The picture-book is about a child who reflects on his mother’s shadow being “as pink as a blossoming cherry” and his father’s shadow that’s “blue as a berry,” and says their shadow is purple. Some parents complained, although Rinderle said others had also expressed their support for the lesson.
Rinderle, a teacher with 10 years’ experience, was removed from her classroom and the Cobb County School District accused her of violating the district’s policies on teaching controversial issues, and urged her to resign or face termination of employment. She was issued an official notice of termination on June 6.
Rinderle sought to overturn her firing, and a tribunal of retired educators, appointed by the Cobb County Board of Education, determined following a hearing that although she had violated district policies, she should not be fired.
However, on Thursday the Cobb County School Board of Education voted along partisan lines to reject the tribunal’s decision, with three Democrats opposing the decision to fire her and four Republican lawmakers upholding it.
School district lawyer Sherry Culves, speaking earlier this month at the hearing, argued that “the Cobb County School District is very serious about the classroom being a neutral place for students to learn. A one-sided viewpoint on political, religious or social beliefs does not belong in our classrooms.”
Good. Teach basic skills. Gender shit doesn’t belong.
Fuck off, a book like this will have zero adverse effects on children. I would say acceptance of others is a basic skill
The book doesn’t mention any “gender shit”.
What’s a “book”? Wouldn’t want any of that witchcraft near our kids!
Why go and confuse people? The world is a simple place. There’s only one gender and that’s Man. There’s Man and then there’s Weaker Man with Boobs. There’s only one colour and that’s White, which also comes in darker shades. See how that resolves all conflict? We’re all white men!
What are you talking about?? Every single human being has a gender. How is understanding that not counted as a basic skill? You can’t even teach basic English without broaching the subject of gender.
School should actively deconstruct bigotry. So that future generations are less bigoted and less hateful of minorities. We cannot rely on parents to do this, as parents can be racist they can be sexist they can be homophobic they can be anti Semitic, they can hate the poor, they can preach hatred of those who are different, they can abuse their children for being different, and many other examples of parents indoctrination their children into hatred and violence.
Bigots should have absolutely no say in education. The education system has to assume that parents can and will teach their children hate. And it has to actively work against this. Empathy and compassion are 2 of the most important basic skills in making an emotionally well rounded adult. There is no room whatsoever for tolerance of hatred in education. If you’re bigoted, if you hate minorities, then you should have absolutely 0 say in what takes place in a classroom. Someone who thinks slavery is right doesn’t get a say in how children are taught. Someone who thinks women should have no right to divorce and no bodily autonomy should have no rights whatsoever to enforce their ideological hatred in classrooms.
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Teaching children to be tolerant and accepting of minorities isn’t indoctrination. Its literally the opposite. Children don’t belong to their parents. They have a right to be taught compassion and tolerance for others.
If you disagree with that then I don’t really care what you have to say. If you think hatred and bigotry have a place in this world, then it doesn’t matter who you are or what else you believe. You are either openly fascist yourself or a “fellow traveler”, either way you are part of the exact same movement that killed 60 million people 7 decades ago and I have no interest in engaging in any kind of discussion with you.
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Don’t teach kids that boys and girls exist. Got it.
Not a lot of things more basic than your gender.
It’s easy for us cis folks to hand wave it away as pointless frippery, since everyone already acknowledges our gender identity.
We have the privilege of not even having to think about it or question how we feel.
Not so easy for some other people.
I was born transgender and I’ve led my life wondering what’s different about me and then repressing my need. Damn getting read like one book at age 10 could’ve made my life way easier and more productive.