What led up to firing of Waukesha elementary school teacher Melissa Tempel and how did 'Rainbowland' controversy begin?

Waukesha first-grade teacher Melissa Tempel was fired on an unanimous vote of the school board Wednesday.

Tempel came under fire this spring after publicly criticizing the school district's decision to ban the song "Rainbowland" from an elementary school concert.

Here's what led to Tempel's firing:

How did the controversy over teacher Melissa Tempel start?

After administrators ruled that students would not be allowed to sing "Rainbowland," Tempel brought the action to light with a March 21 post on her Twitter account: "My first graders were so excited to sing Rainbowland for our spring concert but it has been vetoed by our administration. When will it end?"

Waukesha School District says song was 'controversial' and violated policy

Three days later, on March 24, the Waukesha School District released a statement saying that a different teacher had suggested the song to a music teacher to include in the spring concert. The music teacher checked with Heyer Elementary principal Mark Schneider, who, along with a central office administrator, deemed the song "controversial" in light of criteria set by the district's Controversial Issues in the Classroom policy and banned it from the concert. The school board was not involved in the decision, the statement said. The district declined to say why it thought the song was controversial.

In place of "Rainbowland," the song "Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog was added, the district's statement said.

When and why was teacher Melissa Tempel placed on leave?

Tempel was placed on leave in April. District officials have declined to comment on the reasons why, saying personnel matters are confidential.

On May 15, Tempel said she heard from Sebert that he had recommended she be fired.

How did Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton react to their song being banned? What are the 'Rainbowland' lyrics in question?

In response to the district's decision, the Happy Hippie Foundation shared the "Rainbowland" song lyrics, as well as encouraging messages in a series of tweets on March 29.

The lyrics include: “We are rainbows, me and you Every color, every hue Let's shine on through … TOGETHER WE CAN START LIVING IN A RAINBOWLAND.”

The first tweet said when Miley Cyrus "and her fairy godmother" Dolly Parton "wrote these words together, they meant it."

The second tweet encouraged Heyer's first-graders to keep being themselves.

"We believe in our Happy Hippie heart that you’ll be the ones to brush the judgment and fear aside and make all of us more understanding and accepting," the tweet said, followed by a rainbow emoji.

In its third tweet, the foundation pledged to donate to Pride and Less Prejudice, an organization that has sent over 8,500 LGBTQ-inclusive books to over 3,000 pre-kindergarten through third-grade classrooms.

While appreciative of the donation, Tempel said at the time she did not think the books would be allowed in her district due to district's policy on controversial issues in the classroom.

Alliance for Education in Waukesha calls for superintendent James Sebert to be investigated

The Alliance for Education in Waukesha called for Sebert to be investigated, accusing him of discriminatory behavior toward LGBTQ students. According to its website, the group was founded in January 2021 by "a group of parents who originally came together to advocate for their children’s health and safety in the face of the COVID pandemic."

"Since that time, we have grown rapidly and expanded our focus to include making sure no kids are going hungry, standing up for LGBTQIA+ students, supporting our teachers and staff, and so much more," the group said on its website.

Laurie Pinsoneault, a member of the alliance, said in April that an example of alliance concerns was over the district's enforcement of its controversial issues policy. The policy banned posters with Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter and Thin Blue Line from classrooms, as well as any other materials considered controversial. The district also paused work it had been doing with an assigned staffer handling diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, as well as the district equity leadership team.

More: Waukesha Schools' 'Rainbowland' controversy started over this 2017 policy. Here's what it says.

The alliance also pointed to an October 2021 incident of harassment toward an LGBTQ student at Waukesha West High School in which a student was given a Pride flag with the words "Trump 2024" and “B — Blue, L — Lives, M — Matter" written on it. When the student and her father reported the incident to the principal, the incident was not reported to the DPI as required, according to DPI records.

In December 2021, a Waukesha teacher was suspended for pinning a Pride flag in her classroom and refusing to take it down.

The ACLU of Wisconsin also claims the district has not implemented and enforced its ban on controversial and political signage equally, which has resulted in increased bullying and could be violating anti-discrimination laws.

PEN America has said the district removed LGBTQ-themed books from its libraries; 21 titles were removed from the district in the 2021-22 school year, according to PEN America's website.

In April, Waukesha School Board President Kelly Piacsek said she disagreed with the alliance's claims, saying that the board is focusing on positive student outcomes and college and career readiness.

She also said she supports Sebert.

Board member Anthony Zenobia also said in April he supported Sebert and would not accept Sebert's resignation.

Is legal action possible?

James Santelle, a former U.S. attorney with the Eastern District of Wisconsin, said in April the alliance could file a federal civil rights lawsuit against district, saying that the district's policies violate the First Amendment.

It is unclear whether the alliance plans to file a lawsuit.

Tempel has said she plans to file a First Amendment lawsuit, but has not decided what court to file it in yet.

Residents are divided

Before an April 12 Waukesha School Board meeting, more than 100 people showed up to support Tempel by singing "Rainbowland" outside the Waukesha School District building.

At the board meeting that day, opinions were divided, with some supporting Tempel and the song and others supporting Sebert and the school board.

Before Tempel's July 12 hearing, two groups rallied outside the school district's administration building, one supporting Tempel and the other supporting the school board.

State Superintendent Jill Underly is 'deeply troubled' by the district's controversial issues policy

In an April 12 letter to the Waukesha School District, Underly said she is "deeply troubled by the harm caused" by the school district's controversial issues policy. She called for the district's administration to reverse the policy and said she was concerned the policy would make it more difficult for the district to retain teachers.

In response, Sebert criticized Underly's message and said she should ask for the district's perspective first "as opposed to forming your opinion based on a press release from an advocacy group."

Piacsek and four Republican state politicians — state Rep. Scott Allen, who represents parts of Waukesha; Rep. Adam Neylon of Pewaukee and Sens. Chris Kapenga of Delafield and Rob Hutton of Brookfield — agreed with Sebert, saying Underly was trying to undermine local control.

The alliance released a statement backing Underly and criticizing Sebert for calling the group "an advocacy group." It claimed Sebert and the school board are working to "continue to cater to a national agenda perpetuated by extremists and right wing groups."

"High quality educators have left, and will continue to leave the district because of these discriminatory policies and practice, and some students will continue to fall behind," the alliance's statement said.

Drake Bentley of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Melissa Tempel's firing in Waukesha School Distrct