A Wisconsin school district has banned a first grade class from singing Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s duet “Rainbowland” because it was deemed “controversial” and conflicting with school policy.
Melissa Tempel, a teacher at Heyer Elementary in Waukesha, tweeted on March 21 that her first graders were “so excited” to sing “Rainbowland” for a spring concert, but it was vetoed by the administration.
The 2017 song talks about working together and living in harmony with lyrics including “Cause I know if we try, we could really make a difference in this world” and “Living in a Rainbowland … Where we’re free to be exactly who we are / Let’s all dig down deep inside / Brush the judgment and fear aside.”
Venting her frustration over being barred from using the song, Tempel tweeted, “When will it end?”
Waukesha School District said in a statement on March 24 that there’s an approval process for instances like these.
In this case a teacher suggested “Rainbowland” to the music teacher, who checked with the principal, who checked with the central office administrator “so they could review the song together and alongside our Board Policy 2240 — Controversial Issues in the Classroom.” The district policy describes what determines if a topic is controversial and says such matters need to be approved by the principal.
“They determined that the song could be deemed controversial in accordance with the policy,” the district said.
In 2017, Parton told Taste of Country the song was about inspiring hope and positivity.
“It’s really about if we could love one another a little better or be a little kinder, be a little sweeter, we could live in rainbow land,” Parton said. “It’s really just about dreaming and hoping that we could all do better. It’s a good song for the times right now.”
In the end, the principal asked the music teacher to choose a different song, and “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog was selected.
Read the full article here