A Waukesha County, Wisconsin, first-grade teacher claimed that her pupils' spring performance barred rainbow-themed songs, including one by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton.
Melissa Tempel, Heyer Elementary School's duo language teacher, announced the prohibition on social media, according to Waukesha County's The Freeman.
"My first graders were so excited to sing Rainbowland for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration," Melissa Tempel tweeted on March 21.
The Freeman writes that Tempel collaborated with parents and the school's music instructor to choose songs for their spring performance and "do a theme about the world."
Two first-grade teachers wrote "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie and "De Colores," a Spanish song about global colors, according to the site.
It was sluggish, so we chose "Rainbowland" since it was quicker. "So kids won't get bored with slower songs," Tempel said.
The school's administrator emailed the music instructor on Tuesday, March 21, to tell them they couldn't play "Rainbowland."
"That song is great for first graders and fits in their concert theme," Waukesha County Superintendent Jim Sebert told The Freeman in an email.
"Policy 2240 covers a number of areas, and remember these are six- and seven-year-olds," Sebert said. Is the music age-appropriate?
She subsequently said that the district said Miley Cyrus was too "controversial," but she believed it was more about Dolly Parton's LGBTQ+ advocacy.
I can't stop my pupils from singing Rainbowland. "It's a catchy, fun song," she tweeted.