COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's Note: The video used is from previous coverage of this topic.
Georgia educators have filed a federal sex discrimination lawsuit against the Cobb County School District on Tuesday. This comes after 5th-grade gifted specialist Katie Rinderle was terminated last year for reading a book in her class called "My Shadow Is Purple," which addresses gender identity.
11Alive reached out to the Cobb County School District earlier Tuesday about the lawsuit and is awaiting a response.
Rinderle, who worked at Due West Elementary School, was terminated in August 2023 after a months-long saga about whether she was purposely defying district policies and breaking Georgia's Divisive Concepts Law by reading the book to her class. The legislation places restrictions on how grade school teachers can discuss race and other topics in the classroom. Proponents, including Gov. Brian Kemp and other Republicans, have argued the law prohibits the teaching of "divisive concepts."
According to a release by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), this is the first federal lawsuit challenging classroom censorship policies in the state and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, on behalf of Rinderle, current Cobb County educator Tonya Grimmke and the Georgia Association of Educators. The complaint alleges the district's policies have been used to unlawfully discipline those for mentioning LGBTQ+ and gender-nonconforming people and their experiences in the classroom -- causing a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Consitution.
The complaint argues that district educators received inadequate training about censorship policies as training never specified terms like "controversial," "sensitive," or "divisive." According to the complaint, the teachers were not told that topics like gender identity or sexual orientation were considered to be sensitive subjects. In addition, it recounts how the policies were read from a PowerPoint presentation without clarifying terms or giving examples of what may constitute a violation.
Additionally, the lawsuit is alleging the district has a history of hostility to the LGBTQ+ community. It stated that within the past five years, gender-nonconforming students in the district have "knowingly and intentionally been addressed by teachers and administrators by their birth or given name after they changed that name."
Another point mentioned in the document was that since Rinderle's termination, the district has removed other LGBTQ-themed books like "Flamer." The complaint also said that Rinderle stated she had witnessed Due West Elementary students allegedly using anti-LGBTQ slurs in the school and bullying related to students' identities.
In general, the lawsuit is seeking an injunction to block the district from enforcing the policies that restricted Rinderle from reading the book and caused her termination. It is also seeking damages and additional relief, including Rinderle's reinstatement.
Rinderle said the school board's decision to terminate her undermines students' freedom to learn and teachers' ability to do their jobs.
"Many CCSD educators, including Ms. Grimmke and I, are committed to creating inclusive, diverse and empowering environments free from discrimination and harm, ensuring LGBTQ+ students feel safe, affirmed and centered in their learning journey because that is what our children deserve," Rinderle said.
SPLC Senior Supervising Attorney Mike Tafelski said the organization will continue to hold the district accountable for anything they believe to be unlawful conduct that would harm the community.
"The district's vague and discriminatory censorship policies are rooted in bigotry and have no place in our schools," Tafelski said.
Rinderle's lawyer, Craig Goodmark, previously told 11Alive in August that she is still eligible to teach in the state and has fielded inquiries from interested school districts. Also, he said she is able to appeal to the state board of education and explore other legal options, which now looks to be a federal lawsuit. According to Goodmark, Rinderle is willing to do what is necessary to secure her civil liberties and rights.