<div>Katie Rinderle has been an elementary educator for the last ten years in Cobb County Georgia. She is the first known Georgia public school teacher to be terminated under what is called the “trio of censorship” laws passed in 2022.
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<div>Katie read a book to her students: “My Shadow is Purple” by Australian author Scott Stuart which she purchased at the school’s Scholastic Book Fair. Before reading the book to her fifth grade gifted class, students voted on a variety of books and overwhelmingly chose “My Shadow is Purple”. The book promotes mutual respect, tolerance and free expression.
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<div>But this lesson about self-acceptance and tolerance apparently upset one student’s mother, who also happens to work for the school district. On March 13th, Katie was placed on suspension and removed from her classroom, following a complaint from the parent who felt lines in the book — “My shadow loves playing with all sorts of toys &amp; things loved by girls and things loved by boys” — promoted LGBTQ concepts that were “divisive.”
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<div>Katie was forced to clean out her classroom in late April, around the time that the Georgia Professional Standards Commission announced plans to remove the words “diversity,” “equity” and “inclusion” from its proposed fall 2023 K-12 rules and standards.
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<div>On May 5, the Cobb County School District – the second largest in the state – informed Katie of their intent to fire her. Though the county’s formal disciplinary policy spells out “progressive discipline”, the district decided that her reading of My Shadow is Purple was “egregious” enough to ignore their policy. She was given the option to resign or be fired. She refused to resign and was recommended for termination. Katie is now fighting her unjust termination.
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<div>Katie is the latest victim of regressive tactics by politicians and local school boards. In the school district in where she teaches, four of the seven Board members changed the rules to further their agenda, silencing the voices of the minority board members. Katie won’t be silent, nor will she be used as an example to place fear in other educators or to strip students from inclusive education.
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<div>Katie is an exemplary teacher who goes the extra mile for her students. Her combination of compassion, as well as skill, makes her somebody that we should be trying to replicate and not terminate. She has received an outpouring of love and support from parents coming to her defense. She has touched hundreds of lives and been a champion for her students.
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<div>Katie is a lover of humanity. She is creative, passionate, witty, and compassionate. This has been an incredibly stressful time for her, and I want to support Katie as she navigates these challenges and seeks employment. She won’t have health insurance and will need help in paying bills as she fights to defend her career. Any extra funds raised will go toward supporting the work she is no longer able to do as a result of her political firing - providing inclusive and affirming learning environments for all students.
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<div>Katie says “What happened to me is not just about me - it’s the impact of what is being communicated to students – that it is acceptable to prioritize behaviors and attitudes rooted in bias and discrimination rather than ensuring that students’ backgrounds, experiences and identities are seen, heard, connected and honored in their learning experience. Censorship is not only a threat to our students, teachers and public school classrooms – but to our democracy at its core.”
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<div>Thanks so much for helping Katie Rinderle during this challenging time, and standing with her and others in the fight for inclusive and affirming education for all students.
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<div>To learn more about Katie and her on-going case, visit:
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<div><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/news/2023/06/22/georgia-teacher-fired-reading-childrens-book-about-acceptance-class" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/news/2023/06/22/georgia-teacher-fired-reading-childrens-book-about-acceptance-class" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.splcenter.org/news/2023/06/22/georgia-teacher-fired-reading-childrens-book-about-acceptance-class</a></a>
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<div><a href="https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/georgia-teacher-faces-termination-after-reading-book-about-acceptance-to-class-185672261786" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/georgia-teacher-faces-termination-after-reading-book-about-acceptance-to-class-185672261786" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/georgia-teacher-faces-termination-after-reading-book-about-acceptance-to-class-185672261786</a></a>
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<div><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/05/georgia-teacher-termination-gender-identity-maga-desantis-trump" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/05/georgia-teacher-termination-gender-identity-maga-desantis-trump" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/05/georgia-teacher-termination-gender-identity-maga-desantis-trump</a></a>
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<div><a href="https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-cobb-teacher-facing-firing-shows-culture-war-siege-of-classrooms/CDHUVQNS45C7LG6GWSSYDJNIIY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-cobb-teacher-facing-firing-shows-culture-war-siege-of-classrooms/CDHUVQNS45C7LG6GWSSYDJNIIY/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-cobb-teacher-facing-firing-shows-culture-war-siege-of-classrooms/CDHUVQNS45C7LG6GWSSYDJNIIY/</a></a> (<a href="https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-cobb-teacher-facing-firing-shows-culture-war-siege-of-classrooms/CDHUVQNS45C7LG6GWSSYDJNIIY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-cobb-teacher-facing-firing-shows-culture-war-siege-of-classrooms/CDHUVQNS45C7LG6GWSSYDJNIIY/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled-blog/opinion-cobb-teacher-facing-firing-shows-culture-war-siege-of-classrooms/CDHUVQNS45C7LG6GWSSYDJNIIY/</a></a>
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<div><a href="https://pen.org/press-release/firing-of-georgia-teacher-for-reading-a-book-that-promotes-inclusivity-is-shocking-and-harmful-says-pen-america" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://pen.org/press-release/firing-of-georgia-teacher-for-reading-a-book-that-promotes-inclusivity-is-shocking-and-harmful-says-pen-america/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://pen.org/press-release/firing-of-georgia-teacher-for-reading-a-book-that-promotes-inclusivity-is-shocking-and-harmful-says-pen-america/</a></a>
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<div><a href="https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/back-to-school-invite-georgia-educators" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/back-to-school-invite-georgia-educators/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/back-to-school-invite-georgia-educators/</a></a>
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