Melissa Tempel, a teacher at Heyer Elementary School, has been fired. She had initially been put on administrative leave after making posts online objecting to the school’s removal of “Rainbowland” from an upcoming school concert.
Performed by Miley Cyrus and her godmother Dolly Parton, “Rainbowland” dreams of a world where “every color, every hue” gets to shine; everything goes right and all backgrounds love one another. Students were disappointed to see “Rainbowland” removed from their setlist because the song was deemed too controversial.
Melissa Tempel was fired for her posts concerning “Rainbowland”
My first graders were so excited to sing Rainbowland for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration. When will it end? @waukeshaschools @DollyParton @MileyCyrus @mileyworld @gsafewi @CivilRights #publicschools pic.twitter.com/8Na0nETmDw
— The Rainbowland Teacher (@melissatempel) March 21, 2023
Back in March, Tempel took to social media to share news that “Rainbowland” had been removed from the school’s spring concert setlist. “My first graders were so excited to sing Rainbowland for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration,” she posted. “When will it end?” After being put on administrative leave, Tempel was subsequently fired on Wednesday for making this post.
RELATED: Dolly Parton And Miley Cyrus Song Cut From School Concert, Deemed “Controversial”
Tempel underwent a hearing with the school administration to discuss her termination. She was joined by her lawyers.
Superintendent James Sebert argued, “Ms. Tempel deliberately brought negative attention to the school district because she disagreed with the decision as opposed to following protocol and procedure and I believe that behavior is intolerable.” Reportedly, it is a policy that she should have discussed her objections with her supervisors before making such a post. Tempel’s team argues that she should be allowed to say what she posted because of her right to free speech.
Tempel and “Rainbowland” are two topics running parallel to one another
A key part of what started all of this between Tempel and the schoolboard was the removal of “Rainbowland.” Additionally, the school also removed “Rainbow Connection,” from 1979’s The Muppet Movie.
Tempel announced her full termination on Twitter on Wednesday, saying, “Today I was fired for tweeting that first graders couldn’t sing Rainbowland by @MileyCyrus featuring @DollyParton. Tonight I have an achey breaky heart but tomorrow I’m gonna get up and keep fighting for what is right. Thanks for all the love!”
“I’m devastated that the board decided to terminate my contract and remove me from my classroom,” Tempel said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “but I am a teacher at my core and no school board can take that away from me. Outside my working hours I’m a citizen teacher with First Amendment Rights.”
Sebert asserted, “The Board takes very seriously the right of all people to speak freely and further acknowledges that discourse and debate are an important part of a free society. However, the District has an obligation to enforce Board policies that apply reasonable boundaries to employee speech when it adversely affects the learning environment.”
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