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.”

  • Especially_the_lies@startrek.website
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    1 year ago

    I’m a teacher. I bought this book for my own children. It’s a book about being true to yourself, even when you don’t feel like you fit in. You don’t have to be “blue” or “pink” if you feel like you fit into both categories.

    Yes, it’s a book about being trans, but there are other ways to read the book, especially if your audience is young. Accepting and loving yourself. Inclusion. Tolerance. It’s a sweet book, and so of course people are going to get mad… it teaches kids acceptance, not hate!

  • ares35@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    what was the point of the school board appointing a ‘tribunal’ if they had no intention of honoring its decision (if it didn’t go “their way”)?

    • Maeve@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      “ A one-sided viewpoint on political, religious or social beliefs does not belong in our classrooms.”

      With zero sense of irony.

  • Fallenwout@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Just ban Murica from the world. I am sorry for the sane Americans, but you just have to take the fall for mankind.

      • andallthat@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        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!

    • BEZORP@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      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.

  • Throwaway@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Good shit. Elementary school kids don’t need to hear that nonsense.

    • Kittengineer@lemmy.world
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      It exists and kids have a gender identity whether you hide it from them or not.

      It’s the same broken logic that somehow sex education is somehow causing kids to have sex. Most guys don’t even realize how women pee, sex education has been so broken.

      Republicans fucking love an ignorant populace.

      • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        The loony right is mad they’re losing their monopoly on teaching kids about sex and gender, which they absolutely do just badly and wrongly

        • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Conservatism’s view of school “appropriate” gender norms:

          “When you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

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          This book does nothing of the sort, just says it’s ok to feel like you’re not one thing or the other. It’s not telling kids to go get surgery, ffs.

          I’m not even touching the hot mess that is the rest of your comment.

        • Cryptic Fawn@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          Mate, transitioning is like getting a face tattoo

          Thanks for letting everyone know you’re full of shit.

          it shouldn’t be taught to kids

          You think trans kids are taught to be trans? With that shitty logic, we should be able to teach kids to be straight and cis… except wait, that doesn’t work either! Doh!

          This book goes a step further and acts like its a good thing, and not a last resort for mentally ill suicidal people.

          Ugh, go spread your filth on Truth Social.

        • Chozo@kbin.social
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          You haven’t read a single bit of the book in question, have you?

          Quick, without using Google, do you even know the name of the book?

    • jeffw@lemmy.worldOPM
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      I think most 10 year olds know what gender and sexuality are. I had sex ed in 5th or 6th grade

      • BOMBS@lemmy.world
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        yep, i had sex ed starting in 4th grade. im still a straight male, so maybe it didn’t work?? /s

      • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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        More importantly, they are exposed to things that the loony right doesn’t want them to hear, like the idea of consent or that LGBT people exist and aren’t going to burn in hell. That’s the parts they hate

      • 3L54@lemmy.world
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        Biological gender yes. But for such young children I think its more confusing than helpful to talk about a gender that is freely chosen by an adult on themselves.

        • Cryptic Fawn@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          But for such young children I think its more confusing than helpful to talk about a gender that is freely chosen by an adult on themselves.

          My 11 year old niece just told me that no, it isn’t. I asked her. =) She doesn’t find the concept of gender confusing at all.

          It’s moronic adults that are trying to pretend that it’s confusing that are causing the issues.

          • stopthatgirl7@kbin.social
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            Way too many folks think kids are stupider than they are.

            And way too many folks have learned using kids as an excuse works when they want to normalize their bigotry.

            • Perfide@reddthat.com
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              What it really is, is that they’re too stupid to understand simple concepts, but think they’re geniuses. If they, an adult “genius”, don’t understand the concept, then that must mean it is too complex a concept for children, an incorrect concept, or both. The idea of introspection, that maybe they are the idiot and just don’t get it, never even crosses their minds.

              Plus just bigotry for bigotry’s sake, of course. There’s plenty of that going around too, unfortunately.

              • 3L54@lemmy.world
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                Well. Here in northern europe 5th graders are 11 years old. So just about to start puberty and very confused already. I just dont think learning about other than biological gender is of any benefit for so young children. Sexual education in itself is ofcourse important.

                • stopthatgirl7@kbin.social
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                  About to start puberty seems like the perfect time to start teaching kids about gender and explaining the things confusing them. Which is the age the kids in this situation are.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  I’m sorry, but what was wrong with you as a child that things about sexuality were so confusing to you? They were explained to me clearly and I had no problem understanding them.

        • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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          You know what’s really confusing? Feeling Gender dysphoia and not knowing that’s what it is.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          There is no such thing as “biological gender.” You’re talking about sex. Gender is a social construct. That you don’t even know that suggests you’re way out of your element here.