A Georgia teacher is facing termination after reading a book about gender identity \u2013 which some parents complained was controversial \u2013 to her fifth grade class.
Cobb County School District (CCSD) informed the teacher, Katherine Rinderle, that it \u201cintends to terminate\u201d her employment at Due West Elementary School after she read the book \u201cMy Shadow is Purple\u201d to her students, according to a charge letter from the school district reviewed by CNN. The school district told Rinderle that she was being fired \u201con the grounds of insubordination, willful neglect of duties and any other good and sufficient cause.\u201d
In the charge letter, CCSD claimed Rinderle violated at least six district policies and administrative rules, which include two polices based on Georgia laws passed last year \u2013 one that\u00a0restricts instruction of \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d\u00a0and another that provides\u00a0greater transparency to parents and legal guardians\u00a0regarding what their children are being taught.
Rinderle said the school district has not told her what \u201cdivisive\u201d means.
\u201cThey actually said that it was intentionally written in a way that left room for it to be covered in various ways. So no, it has never been answered to me,\u201d Rinderle said.
The lesson was brought to the school district\u2019s attention after several parents complained that Rinderle had introduced \u201ca controversial subject (gender identity\/fluidity) that is not an appropriate school topic for ten and eleven-year-old students\u201d in class, according to the document.
Rinderle told CNN that after reading and buying the book from a Scholastic Book Fair held at the school in February, she presented the book to her students who chose the title out of a selection of books she presented to the class.
\u201cI read it and I just knew that it had a great message. I really resonated with its message of acceptance of oneself and others, and every book I had in my classroom is one of acceptance,\u201d Rinderle said. \u201cI knew that this book would fit perfectly in my classroom.\u201d
Craig Goodmark, a lawyer representing Rinderle, told CNN he and his client believe the book was neither inappropriate, controversial or divisive, and disagreed with the school district\u2019s position.
Written by Scott Stuart, \u201cMy Shadow is Purple\u201d describes itself as \u201ca heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself.\u201d According to a description of the book by publisher\u00a0Larrikin House, \u201cThis story considers gender beyond binary in a vibrant spectrum of colour.\u201d The book was\u00a0nominated\u00a0for a 2023 Australian Book Industry Award.
After reading it to the class, Rinderle said students \u201cdiscussed the overall message of acceptance,\u201d and then did \u201ca self-reflective piece with their connections to their gifted side or whatever it may be through their shadow poem.\u201dEnter your email to sign up for CNN’s “Meanwhile in China” Newslet
CCSD claimed Rinderle \u201cimplemented this lesson without informing administration or families ahead of time or providing families an opportunity to opt out of the lesson or address the topic with their children first,\u201d according to the document.
Rinderle, who has been teaching in Cobb County for 10 years, told CNN that, with the exception of sexual education classes, teachers are not required to obtain parent pre-approval of lesson topics before they are taught to students.
When asked if the district has a required approval process for clearing books used by teachers in the classroom, Rinderle said there was not. Teachers use their professional judgment to review books before placing them in their classrooms, she said.
CNN reached out to the principal of the school for comment but has not heard back.
Rinderle explained she was placed on administrative leave less than a week after she read the book to students on March 8.
The teacher said she was initially called into the principal\u2019s office to discuss an email complaint from a parent who \u201cthought that this book was inappropriate.\u201d Several days later, she met with an investigator from the school district.
By the following Monday, Rinderle said that she had been placed on administrative leave. By May 5, the district told her she had the option to resign or \u201cthey would move forward with the recommendation for termination.\u201d
After she refused to resign, Rinderle told CNN she received a charge letter dated June 6, in which the district notified her of its intention to fire her.
The district alleged that students reported that Rinderle taught this lesson during a time designated for math instruction and claimed that the teacher denied doing so. According to the letter, when asked to provide evidence, Rinderle was not able to produce any showing that she had \u201cinstructed students in math intervention on this date.\u201d
The teacher was also accused of failing to acknowledge that reading the book to fifth graders in a public elementary school was \u201cinappropriate,\u201d as well as failing to acknowledge that the book dealt with gender identity, the district\u2019s letter said.
According to the charge letter, Rinderle was previously cautioned about her selection of another book. In January 2022, she read the children\u2019s book \u201cStacey\u2019s Extraordinary Words\u201d by then Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and posted about it on Instagram. At the time, some parents complained of the perception of political bias.
Rinderle said the district\u2019s inclusion of the Abrams book in the charge \u201cis a bit ridiculous\u201d because no issue was brought up to her regarding that book.
\u201cI did read that book, and there was never an issue with that book. There was never a conversation about that book as far as, you know, me not needing to read that book,\u201d Rinderle said, \u201cMy principal thought it was a great book.\u201d
Goodmark said the reasons laid out by the school district for the termination remain unclear. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to fire a teacher, it needs to be done on a policy that people understand and can predict whether or not they\u2019re in violation of it,\u201d he said.
\u201cAll relevant facts and policies will be reviewed during the employee\u2019s hearing,\u201d the district said in an email. \u201cWithout getting into specifics of the personnel investigation, the District is confident that this action is appropriate considering the entirety of the teacher\u2019s behavior and history. The District remains committed to strictly enforcing all Board policy, and the law,\u201d the Cobb County School District said in a statement to CNN.
Jeff Hubbard, president of the Cobb County Association of Educators \u2013 a teachers advocacy group representing Rinderle \u2013 told CNN that the divisive concepts law focuses on race and political teachings, but that \u201cMy Shadow is Purple\u201d doesn\u2019t focus on either.
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing in that story that talks about race or political teachings,\u201d Hubbard said, adding that legislation such as this has made teachers question what they can teach in class.
Goodmark noted that the lesson about \u201cMy Shadow is Purple\u201d included \u201cvarious types of concepts of acceptance and diversity, both between gender identity and racial diversity and all the other ways that we want our kids in the fifth grade to be able to interact with each another.\u201d
Goodmark said Rinderle\u2019s personnel file has \u201cno negatives in it.\u201d
\u201cShe has a sterling record. Her evaluations are strong. She\u2019s a tenure educator who has not, to my knowledge, ever received a negative evaluation,\u201d Goodmark said.
Rinderle remains on \u201cadministrative leave with pay pending the outcome of her termination hearing,\u201d Goodmark said. Her hearing is set for August 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n