Waukesha 'Rainbowland' Teacher Says District Plans To Fire Her

WAUKESHA, WI — The Waukesha Heyer Elementary teacher who initially suggested the Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus duet "Rainbowland" for a first-grade concert says the district superintendent is looking to fire her after school officials determined the song too controversial.

Classroom Teacher Melissa Tempel said she was informed of the impending recommendation for termination by Superintendent James Sebert on Monday, according to a news release published Wednesday by the Alliance for Education in Waukesha, a group formed by parents in 2021 to rally for safety amid the pandemic. In an email to Patch Friday, Sebert said it was an ongoing personnel matter and declined to comment on or confirm any plans to terminate Tempel.

Tempel suggested the song in March, which prompted the school's principal to check in with the district office, according to a news release from the district at the time. Officials, however, found the song may be too controversial for use under Board Policy 2240, and a Kermit the Frog song was planned instead, the district said.

Related: 'Rainbowland' Too Controversial For Waukesha First Graders: District

The song's lyrics — which can be found in full from Genius.com — include "Living in Rainbowland, where you and I go hand in hand, Oh, I’d be lying if I said I was fine, all the hurt and hate going on here, we are rainbows me and you, every color, every hue, let’s shine on through, together, we can start living in a Rainbowland."

In Wednesday's news release from the Alliance for Education in Waukesha, Tempel asserted the lyrics of the song "are beautiful and promote inclusivity."

"This song, as well as Dolly Parton’s work through the Imagination Library and Miley Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation, are examples of the type of inspiration and kindness the world needs right now," Tempel wrote. "My goal has, and continues to be, to provide transformative experiences that educate, reflect, and inspire my students and us as individuals and a community, while acknowledging those individuals who have been marginalized or disenfranchised within our same community."

Related: Waukesha Teacher Who Suggested 'Rainbowland' For Concert Put On Leave

The possibility of Tempel's termination comes after the district put her on leave in April. The district confirmed the leave at the time, but didn't comment on the reason behind it. Tempel said she arrived for a normal day at her school on April 3 when she learned of her being placed on leave from district administrators, according to the Alliance news release. Tempel called her removal from the classroom "harmful and traumatic" for students and other children at the school.

Amid the continued media swirl surrounding the "Rainbowland" situation, Tempel on Wednesday wrote encouraging the public "to not call the district and leave messages."

"Calling the District isn’t going to change their minds and I don’t want to take any time or resources from the students," Tempel wrote.

Superintendent Sebert in March told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the song was blocked in part based on "whether it was appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students" and "social or personal impacts" on them.

We asked Patch readers around southeastern Wisconsin in late March what they thought of the song "Rainbowland" and if it should be considered controversial. Many of the respondents to our non-scientific survey were confused about the "controversial" labeling in the first place. Of 565 respondents, 490 said the song is not controversial, while 75 respondents said it is.

"The only thing controversial is people who find rainbows offensive," one Patch reader wrote. "Kids don’t care. This is about grown-ups assigning meaning based on their own biases. Rainbowland should be allowed because it’s a song with positive messages. Accepting others as they are is a value we should be encouraging our kids to demonstrate."

Local executive directors for the Wisconsin Education Association Council Region 7 did not immediately respond to Patch's requests for comment for this story.