Will “Not Allow This Minority to Infiltrate Their Schools”: Florida Teacher Under Investigation for Showing a Disney Movie with Gay Character to 5th Grade Class.
A fifth-grade teacher in Hernando County's Winding Waters K-8 school is reportedly under investigation by the Florida Department of Education for allegedly indoctrinating her students by showing them a Disney movie, "Strange World," which features a biracial and gay character, despite having permission slips from all the parents of the students who watched the movie.
The reason as to why Jenna Barbee, the fifth-grade teacher is under investigation by the Florida Department of Education is for showing her students "Strange World," a 2022 animated Disney movie featuring a character who is biracial and gay. Barbee claims she had previously obtained permission slips from all the parents allowing the students to watch the PG-rated movie after a day of standardized testing. However, a parent who is also a member of the Hernando County School District Board complained to the principal about the movie's content, and reported her to the state Department of Education.
Karen Jordan, spokesperson for Hernando County Schools, confirmed that the school district sent an announcement to parents stating that the movie will not be shown in the future, due to concerns that it is not appropriate for students. The district's Professional Standards Department is currently reviewing the matter to determine if further corrective action is necessary.
Florida's law, called "Don't Say Gay," prohibits certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom and was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year. The law was initially limited to kindergarten through third grade, but has since been expanded to limit such instruction all through high school. It has been criticized by opponents who argue that it erases LGBTQ people from schools, while supporters claim it is a form of "parental rights." Violating the state policy can lead to suspension or revocation of teaching licenses for teachers.
Jenna Barbee spoke about the matter at a meeting of the Hernando County school board last week
During a public meeting on May 9, Jenna Barbee, the teacher being investigated for showing her fifth-grade class the Disney movie "Strange World" with a biracial and gay character, addressed the school board members. Barbee accused school board member Shannon Rodriguez of using her position to push her personal beliefs and complained that the complaint against her was part of an agenda to silence minority voices. Rodriguez responded by saying that as a leader, she would “not allow this minority to infiltrate their schools", and that God put her in her position.
Barbee's case has been brought to attention as part of Florida's controversial legislation, which bans certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms. This law has been expanded to limit such information from kindergarten to high school, and teachers who violate it can face suspension or lose their teaching licenses. The law has been criticized by opponents, who claim that it erases LGBTQ people from schools, while supporters argue that it upholds "parental rights
Republicans have at large decided not to critique the school board, thus implying that Republicans themselves either agree, or are at least tolerant of both the statement of “Will Not Allow This minority to Infiltrate Their Schools”, and of removing the civil and human rights of gay individuals. This all while republicans have attempted to imply at large that they are pro-human-rights, and pro-civil-liberties, despite evidence showing themselves as hypocrites consistently emerging at large nearly every single day these past several years.