A Georgia teacher wants to overturn her firing for reading a book to students about gender identity

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia teacher is trying to reverse her firing after officials said she improperly read a book on gender fluidity to her fifth grade class. Katie Rinderle got into trouble in March for reading the picture book “My Shadow Is Purple” at a school in suburban Atlanta’s Cobb County. The case tests what public school teachers can teach, how much a school system can control teachers, and whether parents can veto instruction. It comes amid a conservative backlash to books and teaching about LGBTQ+ subjects. Officials in Cobb County argue Rinderle broke the district’s rules against teaching on controversial subjects. They fired her after parents complained.