'Rainbowland' Waukesha school controversy, teacher holds workshop at library

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The former elementary school teacher at the center of the "Rainbowland" song controversy will be back in Waukesha on Thursday night, Jan. 9.

Melissa Tempel will lead a workshop at the Waukesha Public Library hoping to, quote, "change the narrative of Waukesha County."

The workshop will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

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Tempel was a teacher at Heyer Elementary School until 2023, when she posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the administration's decision to stop her first grade class from singing the song "Rainbowland" by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton at a spring concert. Her post went viral and caught national attention.

She was put on administrative leave and ultimately fired by the school district.

Superintendent Jim Sebert said Tempel violated three district policies and should've raised her concerns with supervisors, not social media.

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Tempel hopes the workshop will help support the LGBTQ+ community in Waukesha.

"It’s really disappointing that a lot of the policies target LGBTQ students," Tempel said. "Like not being able to use student pronouns, not being allowed to use students’ names. Teachers not being allowed to wear rainbows or have rainbows or signs that talk about inclusivity was a big thing that can really help students feel comfortable at school. And that’s something that’s changed a lot."

Tempel said she wishes she was still teaching. Instead, she works for the nonprofit Diverse & Resilient.

She filed a federal civil lawsuit saying her firing was a violation of the first amendment. That is still working its way through the court system.