A Florida teacher is under investigation for showing a Disney movie to her class
A 5th grade teacher in a Florida public school says she’s under investigation by the state for showing an animated Disney movie featuring a biracial and gay character in class.
Jenna Barbee, a first-year teacher at Winding Water K-8 school in Hernando County, took to TikTok to explain that she was being investigated by the Florida Department of Education for showing her students the movie “Strange World.”
“I am the teacher that is under investigation with the Florida Department of Education for indoctrination for showing a Disney movie,” Barbee captioned the video.
Barbee says the movie correlated with her students’ Earth science lesson. “Strange World” also doesn’t contain any sexually inappropriate content—because it’s a Disney movie. For children.
“The word indoctrination is thrown around a lot right now, but it seems that those who are using it are using it as a defense tactic for their own fear-based beliefs without understanding the true meaning of the word,” Barbee said.
Related: Florida bill would ban girls from talking about their periods in school
She says she had parents sign a permission slip allowing their kids to watch the PG-rated movie. But one student’s parent reported her after learning it features a gay character. The school then made an announcement to parents saying the movie won’t be shown to students again, and that Barbee would be under investigation over the matter.
“Yesterday, the Disney movie ‘Strange World’ was shown in your child’s classroom,” the school district said, per CNN. “While not the main plot of the movie, parts of the story involves a male character having and expressing feelings for another male character. In the future, this movie will not be shown. The school administration and the district’s Professional Standards Dept is currently reviewing the matter to see if further corrective action is required.”
My friend showed Disney’s Strange World in a Florida classroom and one student reported it to their parents. Now she’s under investigation by the state.
Florida is not safe for teachers, DO NOT MOVE HERE. pic.twitter.com/rZJPdadz28— Carl Zee (@c350Zee) May 11, 2023
This situation is a direct result of the anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation in Florida that restricts what schools can teach regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. The new law prohibits teachers from discussing those subjects in grades through high school
Disney has openly criticized the “Don’t Say Gay” law, igniting a feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. As for Barbee, she believes all children should feel accepted in public schools.
“This is the public education system, where students from all backgrounds, cultures and religions are welcomed and should be celebrated and represented,” Barbee said. “I am not, and never would, indoctrinate anyone to follow my beliefs. I will, however, always be a safe person to come to that spreads the message of kindness, positivity and compassion for everyone.”
In an interview with USA Today, Barbee laments the way teachers are being controlled by the state lately.
“I’m a first-year teacher. I’ve had to learn so much this year,” she told the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida. “I work with teachers who have taught for 20 years, 30 years, tell me every day it never used to be like this.”
“Times have changed so much and they are so micromanaged, they’re not allowed to teach anymore,” she continued. “They’re basically a caregiver who has to teach the standards. Teachers stay for the children, but because of the laws and the fear of being let go for saying one wrong thing, they can’t connect to their students.”
