Cobb Teacher's Firing Upheld After Reading Of Gender Identity Book

MARIETTA, GA — The firing of a Cobb County teacher who read a gender identity book to her fifth-grade class nearly a year ago has been upheld, according to a 21-page document released Thursday from the Georgia Department of Education.

The state department unanimously agreed with the firing of Katherine Rinderle, which was initially approved by the Cobb Board of Education in August. Rinderle was a "targeted teacher or gifted specialist" at Due West Elementary in Marietta at the time, per the document.

The local board voted 4-3 to end her contract after she was removed from her classroom in March for reading "My Shadow is Purple" to her advanced learning class that consisted of 10- and 11-year-old students.

She was accused of violating six of the school district's policies and administrative rules by reading the book.

State officials said some parents supported Rinderle's choice to read the book while others spoke against it.

Rinderle bought the book from a school book fair with her own money, the state board said. The school district does not pre-approve books sold at the fair for use in the classroom nor does it choose the books sold at the fair, state officials said.

RELATED: Cobb Teacher Fired For Reading Gender Identity Book To Class: Report

"The Appellant purchased 'My Shadow is Purple' because she thought that it was supportive of the gifted standards and reflective of the community that she serves, including students who are LGBTQ or nonbinary. According to the Appellant, 'My Shadow is Purple' was about diversity, inclusion and acceptance," the Georgia DOE said in documents.

Rinderle's students, by majority, voted to have "My Shadow is Purple" read in class March 8. Allowing her students to choose a picture book for reading aloud was a norm for Rinderle, state officials said.

Some students commented on the "perceived gender" of the character on the book's cover, to which state officials said Rinderle instructed them to refer to the image as "the character" or "they" since the book had not yet been read.

Rinderle appealed the termination decision, but the Georgia DOE said it affirmed Cobb's choice based on multiple factors that included willful neglect of duties. The board said Rinderle failed to give advance notice to the administration and the students' parents about the book reading.

"In this instance, as to what the Appellant knew or should have known, the findings of fact
show that the Appellant was knowingly untruthful when she denied understanding that the topic
of gender identity or gender fluidity was a sensitive or controversial topic in this community, that the content of 'My Shadow is Purple' involves a sensitive and controversial topic ... that the Appellant was trained on the District’s policies, that a reasonable educator exercising good professional judgment should have known that reading "My Shadow is Purple" to a 5th grade class in the District is not appropriate, and that the Appellant should have communicated with local school administration for approval," the Georgia DOE said in the document.

Rinderle told CNN in the past that she was disappointed in Cobb's decision to terminate her.

Prior to her firing, Rinderle had been a teacher for 10 years, state officials said in the document.