USA: School bans Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton music – 03/29/2023 – World

Teachers, students and some parents were frustrated after a school in Waukesha, Wisconsin, banned a class of first graders from performing the song “Rainbowland” at a spring event.

The subject came up and generated a wide debate after Professor Melissa Tempel, who organized the event with the class, talk on social networks about the ban. The case, after all, is not isolated. The US is experiencing a wave of limitations in academic debate and freedom, ranging from primary to university education in several places.

In the case of Waukesha students, there is one more factor: the school district imposed a new policy last year that requires the removal of posters and flags of LGBTQIA+ pride from schools, considering them controversial content in the field of education.

Knowing the measure, Tempel decided to inform the school board about the choice of the song, released in 2017 and written by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton. The song’s lyrics talk about the desire to make a difference in the world through the acceptance of diversity —this was precisely the message that Tempel worked with his students.

Then came the denial from the superiors. Questioned by The Washington Post, Waukesha School District Superintendent James Sebert said in a letter that the decision was made because the song could be a point of intense public discussion and disapproval from some family members.

Tempel, in turn, reported that the idea of ​​u200bu200binterpreting “Rainbowland” was to describe the utopia of a world in which everyone is free to be exactly what they are. “There was no reason for us to think the song wouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “I mean, it’s a Dolly Parton song! And we love Dolly.”

Some parents in the class of 24 students came forward saying that the song represents hope, not a political agenda. Students would also perform other songs such as “Es Un Mundo Pequeño” (Spanish version of “It’s a Small World”) and “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles.

In recent years, several US states and cities, mostly led by Republican Party politicians, have approved measures to limit debates about race, gender and sexuality in the classroom, on the grounds that the discussions were aimed at indoctrinating students.

The movement was boosted during the period of Donald Trump in the White House (2017-2021) and, even after the Republican left office, remained a consolidated phenomenon that worries teachers and specialists in the field of education.

Today, one of the biggest advocates of limiting academic freedom is the governor of Florida, fellow Republican Ron DeSantis. In a recent speech to mark his goals for the second term —he was re-elected in the last midterms, last November—, he signaled that he will raise the so-called “culture wars” as a priority.

DeSantis is also one of the main names of the Republican Party quoted to run for the White House in 2024.