Teacher fired for reading LGBTQ+ children’s book takes fight to Georgia Supreme Court

A teacher who was fired for reading a book about tolerance to children has appealed her case to the Georgia Supreme Court.

Cobb County school officials fired Katie Rinderle in 2023 after she read My Shadow Is Purple, a picture book for children, to her fifth-grade students at Due West Elementary School. While she fought the termination, the Georgia Court of Appeals upheld a decision by the Cobb County Superior Court, holding that the district was within its rights to let Rinderle go. But Rindler told local NPR affiliate WABE that she will take the battle to the state’s highest court.

“From the start, my motivation really has been my students. All students in Georgia. Far beyond. Also, teachers,” Rinderle said. “If you don’t have clear limits, then that traps you as an educator. If you can be fired for defending yourself, that traps you as an educator. And so, that will also ultimately have an impact on our students.”

Related: Georgia court upholds firing of teacher who read LGBTQ+ book to class

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Her attorneys are asking the state Supreme Court to take up the matter because it could have ramifications for all Georgia public school teachers. She hopes to have her job with the school district reinstated. Attorneys could also bring the termination case to federal court and argue her firing violated her civil rights.

The Cobb County School Board voted 4-3 to fire Rinderle for broaching “controversial issues” with students.

My Shadow is Purple, by Scott Stuart, is about a child whose father has a blue shadow and whose mother has a pink one, but their own shadow is purple, a metaphor for gender fluidity. A description on Amazon states: “This story considers gender beyond binary in a vibrant spectrum of color.”

Related: Georgia Teacher Fired for Reading Gender-Inclusive Book Appeals Decision

Notably, students in Rinderle’s class chose the book she was to read that day from a selection of titles available at the school book fair. Nevertheless, the school district determined she had overstepped as an educator. The district has stood by its decision.

“We expect all members of our team to keep Cobb’s classrooms focused on teaching and learning. Multiple rulings affirmed that Ms. Rinderle knowingly violated rules and policy and was not truthful during the investigation,” a district spokesperson said in a statement to local media.

Georgia is a right-to-work state.