Teacher on leave after saying school banned 'Rainbowland' by Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton

MILWAUKEE – A Wisconsin teacher who said the school district's administration banned students from performing the song "Rainbowland" by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton, has been placed on administrative leave.

Melissa Tempel, a first grade dual-language teacher at Heyer Elementary, confirmed she was on leave from the Waukesha School District in a text to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network. She deferred any further comment to the Alliance for Education in Waukesha.

The alliance is a group of mainly Waukesha parents who announced Monday on social media that they want superintendent James Sebert to be investigated for discrimination of LGBTQ+ students and staff, accusing him of repeated discriminatory actions.

Sebert later confirmed in a statement that Tempel was on leave and wouldn't comment further.

Sebert said in March the decision to pull the song was based on "whether it was appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students" and because of "social or personal impacts" on them.

In March: Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton's 'Rainbowland' song banned from Wisconsin first-grade concert

Politics: A wave of anti-LGBTQ laws for schools in red states has Biden administration weighing a response

'Rainbowland' lyrics encourage listeners to be proud of themselves, teacher said

At the time of the March decision, Tempel told the Journal Sentinel that she and her students were "so sad."

"We just really feel bad because the kids were excited about it," Tempel said, who has been teaching for 20 years and is national board certified. "It's just really confusing. ... It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

She also pointed to "Rainbowland" lyrics and themes that encourage listeners to be proud of who they are.

"That's like the core of what we teach at school or what anybody teaches," Tempel said in March. "You can be who you are, you should be proud of what you look like and how you learn. And that everyone has differences that we can all appreciate. And that no one's the same, so you shouldn't be afraid to be yourself around other people."

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Alliance accuses district of marginalization

In a Tuesday statement, the Alliance for Education accused the school district's superintendent and board of starting a "march toward marginalization last year, and it has only served to stoke fear and sow distrust in the Waukesha Community, which has yielded a pattern of bullying against anyone who calls out the district's bias and harassment."

"Now Waukesha is a national laughingstock and the blame for that falls squarely to the feet of the district's leadership, not those who have the courage to hold them accountable, like Ms. Tempel," the alliance added.

Contributing: Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: School banned 'Rainbowland,' places teacher on administrative leave