10-year veteran teacher fired for reading picture book about gender identity to fifth graders

A Georgia school district fired a veteran teacher after parents balked at her reading a picture book about gender identity to a class of fifth graders.

The Cobb County School Board voted 4-3 Thursday to terminate Due West Elementary’s Katie Rinderle, who’s been teaching for 10 years — overruling a panel of retired educators who said even though she violated district policies, she should not be fired, according to 11 Alive.

After the March class reading of “My Shadow Is Purple,” a book that discusses gender identity and centers on a non-binary character, parents of Rinderle’s 10- and 11-year-old students were angry.

The concern triggered a new state law placing restrictions on how grade school teachers can discuss race and other topics in the classroom.

Rinderle’s lawyer Craig Goodmark, however, argued teachers across the state had barely been informed about what is now legal under the state’s new law against “divisive concepts” — topics that require parental consent before being taught in classrooms.

“She’s disappointed that it went this way, especially after two days of hearings, and she still doesn’t know what’s controversial, what’s divisive or what’s sensitive,” Goodmark said, the news outlet reported.

“It’s impossible for a teacher to know what’s in the minds of parents when she starts her lesson,” Goodmark added. “And for parents to be able, with a political agenda from outside the classroom, to come in and have a teacher fired, is simply unfair, it’s not right, and it’s terrible for Georgia’s education system.” 

While Rinderle may consider options to an appeal of her ouster, her lawyer said the board’s decision does not impact her teaching certificate, so she could work for another school district.

Though some parents asked the school board to not fire the fifth-grade educator, the majority — including Abigail Darnell — encouraged Rinderle’s ouster.

“I’m very concerned about the prospect of radical ideas being introduced to young children without parental consent or notification,” Darnell said, according to the news outlet. “Teachers shouldn’t be allowed to bring leftist political activism into the classroom and get away with it.”

The school board’s four Republicans voted to fire Rinderle; three Democrats voted against firing her after unsuccessfully trying to delay the vote.

Superintendent Chris Ragsdale, who is backed by the Republican majority, first recommended her firing.

“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’s decision is reflective of that mission,” the district said in a news release.

Cobb County adopted a rule preventing teachers from planning lessons on controversial issues in 2022 after Georgia lawmakers passed a law barring the teaching of “divisive concepts” and creating a parents’ bill of rights.

The divisive concepts law addresses teaching on race, but also prevents teachers from “espousing personal political beliefs.” The parents’ bill of rights ensures parents have “the right to direct the upbringing and the moral or religious training of his or her minor child.”

School district lawyer Sherry Culves said discussing gender identity in the classroom was inappropriate.

“The Cobb County School District is very serious about the classroom being a neutral place for students to learn,” Culves said at a hearing. “One-sided instruction on political, religious or social beliefs does not belong in our classrooms.”

Rinderle is believed to be the first public school teacher in Georgia to be fired as a result of the newly enacted laws.

With Post wires.