ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� A Georgia school board voted along party lines Thursday to fire a teacher after officials said she improperly read a book on gender fluidity to her fifth grade class.
The Cobb County School Board in suburban Atlanta voted 4-3 to fire Katie Rinderle, overriding the of three retired educators. The panel found that Rinderle had violated district policies, but said she should not be fired.
She had been a teacher for 10 years when she got into trouble in March for reading the picture book 鈥淢y Shadow Is Purple鈥� by Scott Stuart at Due West Elementary School, after which some parents complained.
The case has drawn wide attention as a test of what public school teachers can teach in class, how much a school system can control teachers and whether parents can veto instruction they dislike. It comes amid a nationwide conservative backlash to in school.
Rinderle declined comment after the vote but released a statement through the Southern Poverty Law Center, which helped represent her.
鈥淭he district is sending a harmful message that not all students are worthy of affirmation in being their unapologetic and authentic selves," Rinderle said in the statement. "This decision, based on intentionally vague policies, will result in more teachers self-censoring in fear of not knowing where the invisible line will be drawn.
The board鈥檚 four Republicans voted to fire Rinderle, while three Democrats voted against firing her after unsuccessfully seeking to delay the vote. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who is backed by the Republican majority, had originally recommended Rinderle be fired.
鈥淭he 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鈥檚 decision is reflective of that mission,鈥� the Cobb County district said in a press release.
Her lawyer, Craig Goodmark, told reporters after the meeting in Marietta that the vote was 鈥渁n act that only can be construed as politics over policy," reiterating that the board policy prohibiting teaching on controversial issues was so vague that Rinderle couldn't know what was allowed or not. The hearing tribunal seemed to agree with that point, refusing to agree with a statement that Rinderle knowingly and intentionally violated district policies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible for a teacher to know what鈥檚 in the minds of parents when she starts her lesson," Goodmark said. "For parents to be able, with a political agenda, to come in from outside the classroom and have a teacher fired is completely unfair. It鈥檚 not right. It鈥檚 terrible for Georgia鈥檚 education system.鈥�
Rinderle could appeal her firing to the state Board of Education and ultimately into court. Goodmark said Rinderle was considering her options. Although she was fired effectively immediately, she's still licensed and could teach elsewhere. 鈥淪he will be a teacher again,鈥� Goodmark said.
Cobb County adopted a rule barring teaching on controversial issues in 2022, after Georgia lawmakers barring the teaching of 鈥渄ivisive concepts鈥� and creating a parents鈥� bill of rights. The divisive concepts law, although it addresses teaching on race, bars teachers from 鈥渆spousing personal political beliefs.鈥� The bill of rights guarantees that parents have 鈥渢he right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child.鈥�
Rinderle is believed to be the in Georgia to be fired because of the laws. None of the board members discussed the decision, but school district lawyer Sherry Culves said at the hearing that discussing gender identity and gender fluidity was inappropriate.
鈥淭he Cobb County School District is very serious about the classroom being a neutral place for students to learn,鈥� Culves said at the hearing. 鈥淥ne-sided instruction on political, religious or social beliefs does not belong in our classrooms."
Jeff Amy, The Associated Press
