'Rainbowland' Waukesha school controversy, board votes to fire teacher

WAUKESHA, Wis. - The School District of Waukesha board voted unanimously Wednesday to fire the teacher at the center of the "Rainbowland" song controversy.

A hearing that started at noon turned into a marathon debate over whether to fire Melissa Tempel, a Heyer Elementary teacher. She is now out of a job.

Such hearings are normally private, but Tempel requested it be held in public. She was put on leave since she tweeted her opinions about a school concert after the principal decided not to allow the Miley Cyrus-Dolly Parton duet "Rainbowland" to be sung by students. Tempel's tweet went viral and caught national attention.

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The school district said administrators received dozens of calls and emails – including some threats. Ultimately, Superintendent Jim Sebert decided Tempel violated three district policies. Namely, the superintendent said Tempel should have raised her concerns with supervisors and not on social media.

In her last employment review, Tempel's supervisor called her a "master teacher" who was "magical with children."

Attorneys for the school district called Heyer Elementary's principal, an HR representative and the superintendent to testify. Tempel also spoke and told the board she tweeted while she was off work and entitled to free speech.

"I thought that the fact ‘Rainbowland’ wasn’t going to be allowed was something the public should know," she said.

Tempel's attorney indicated she will file a lawsuit. Dozens of people lined the streets outside district headquarters to support Tempel, and a smaller group gathered in support of the district.