Washington Post opinion columnists Greg Sargent and Paul Waldman on Wednesday highlighted the firing of a 5th grade teacher in Georgia that they say highlights the ways GOP-backed laws banning the teachings of "divisive" concepts have created a chilling effect that has resulted in classroom censorship.
The teacher in question, Katherine Rinderle, is facing termination after she read her class a children's book called "My Shadow is Purple" that critics say broaches the topic of gender identity, although it mentions nothing about transgender or LGBTQ issues.
"The book is written from the perspective of a child who likes both traditionally 'boy' things like trains and 'girl' things like glitter," write Sargent and Waldman. "Its conclusion is essentially that sometimes blue and pink don’t really capture kids’ full interests and personalities — and that everyone is unique and should just be themselves."
This message was apparently too much to handle for one local parent who filed a complaint against Rinderle and who got the teacher on the fast track to being fired.
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Rinderle's attorney, Craig Goodmark, tells Sargent and Waldman that it is ridiculous that a complaint from a single parent is now enough to trigger a dismissal.
“This particular email initiating a termination is absurd,” Goodmark said. “This is one parent’s view of what’s ‘divisive’ being adopted by a whole district.”
Cobb County School District defended its decision and told Sargent and Waldman that other parents in the past have complained about Rinderle's choice of classroom material.
