A Wisconsin teacher whose students were banned from performing a controversial Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton song has been fired after venting online about her frustration over the decision.
Melissa Tempel addressed the ban on Twitter after her first-grade students’ performance of “Rainbowland,” a song that encourages LGBTQ+ acceptance and references rainbows, was canceled by the Waukesha school district.
“My first graders were so excited to sing Rainbowland for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration,” Tempel wrote in March. “When will it end?”
Soon after Tempel was placed on leave for violating district policy, with Superintendent James Serbert recommending she be fired.
On Wednesday, school board members agreed, voting 9-0 to terminate Tempel’s post, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
After a four-hour hearing Wednesday, Tempel’s attorney Summer Murshid indicated that the teacher would be filing a lawsuit against the district, which prohibited students from performing the song over fears it would be viewed as too controversial.
Lyrics from Cyrus and Parton’s tune include “Wouldn’t it be nice to live in paradise / Where we’re free to be exactly who we are” and “Brush the judgment and fear aside / Make wrong things right / And end the fight / ‘Cause I promise ain’t nobody gonna win.”
Tempel’s attorneys argued that her use of social media was done on her own time — not during school hours — and that she thought the public deserved to know about the change in programming.
“This is not a case about culture wars or rainbows. It’s a case about constitutional rights, and Miss Tempel has them like every other person in this country. I think we are moving forward with next steps and Miss Tempel looks forward to vindicating her rights in federal court,” Murshid said.
Still, the school board insisted that Tempel violated district policy by expressing her feelings on social media before talking with her supervisors.
“Ms. Tempel deliberately brought negative attention to the school district because she disagreed with the decision as opposed to following protocol and procedure and I believe that behavior is intolerable,” Sebert said.
Wednesday’s hearing drew a silent protest in support of Tempel, as well as a smaller, counter-protest consisting of community members who agreed she should be fired.
Sarah Schindler, whose child was in Tempel’s class, showed up in her support.
“She has a right to her free speech. She’s a citizen of this country just like everybody else, and it shows that people support that,” Schindler told the Sentinel.
Those in favor of Tempel’s firing included Marcus Schroeder, who said he was proud of the district for taking a stand against a teacher who was “promoting the LGBTQ agenda in her classroom.”
“I want to show that if there’s a school board willing to take a stand on these issues, that I’m here to support them as well, because there’s not very many of them left,” he said.
