COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Several states and the Department of Justice are taking interest in a case coming out of Cobb County Schools.
A fired teacher who read a book on gender fluidity to her fifth-grade class is suing the district for discrimination.
Katherine Rinderle was terminated after reading "My Shadow is Purple" to her fifth-grade students at Due West Elementary last year. District officials said the book was not in line with its policies about espousing personal beliefs in the classroom.
In February of this year, Rinderle, another teacher and the Georgia Association of Educators filed the lawsuit. Now, several states and the Department of Justice are jumping into the fray.
“Several jurisdictions including New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California want to join in and show why she is right and the Cobb County Board of Education is wrong," attorney and legal expert Darryl Cohen said.
Cohen said the Friend of the Court motions and statement of interest from the Department of Justice could have a big impact across the country.
“If this is upheld in Georgia then it could move to California. It could move to New jersey or any number of the other states or all of the other states. So, they want to try to stop it at the beginning he said.
Cohen said its up to the Judge to decide if the other states can participate and exactly how much help they’ll be able to lend to the plaintiffs.