Georgia Educator Appeals Termination Decision by the Cobb County School Board

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Today, Georgia educator Katherine Rinderle appealed the Cobb County School Board’s decision last month to terminate her for reading My Shadow is Purple to her fifth grade gifted students at Due West Elementary School. Attorneys for the Goodmark Law Firm and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed the appeal on Rinderle’s behalf. 

“The board’s decision to fire me undermines students’ freedom to learn,” Rinderle said. “I am appealing this decision because I oppose censorship, discrimination and harm to students in any form. I’m committed to creating inclusive, diverse and empowering environments that center students in their learning journey.”

“Teachers should not be fired for doing their jobs,” said attorney Craig Goodmark of the Goodmark Law Firm. “The board’s decision was purely political. We appealed the board’s termination in light of the facts of the case and the decision of a hand-picked tribunal that believed Ms. Rinderle should not be fired.”

“The board’s decision to fire Ms. Rinderle defies logic and the law,” said Mike Tafelski, senior supervising attorney for the SPLC. “The superintendent and board majority continue to shamelessly enforce unlawful and discriminatory policies that harm educators and students. We will continue to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” 

Learn more here.