A Cobb County teacher who was fired for reading a book that challenges gender norms to fifth graders is suing the district for discrimination.
Katie Rinderle is believed to be the first public school teacher in Georgia to face consequences under state laws passed in 2022 that limit what teachers are allowed to discuss in the classroom. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta is the first federal challenge to the Georgia policies, her attorneys say in a news release from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Rinderle is one of three plaintiffs in the suit, along with current Cobb County teacher Tonya Grimmke and the Georgia Association of Educators, which represents about 1,600 teachers in Cobb. Grimmke, who has taught in Cobb for 18 years, said she has strived to make her classrooms and school communities safe and welcoming for LGBTQ and gender nonconforming students. The school district’s actions, Grimmke said in the complaint, have made her fear retaliatory disciplinary action. Grimmke currently teaches at Birney Elementary School.