US School Bans Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s Rainbowland 

A Wisconsin school district has banned a first-grade class from performing a Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton duet at their spring concert. 

Students at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha had prepared a setlist for the concert including song titles: ‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong, ‘Rainbow Connection’ by Kermit the Frog from The Muppet Movie and ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by The Beatles. 

They were also set to perform “Rainbowland,” a duet by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton. However, both “Rainbowland” and “Rainbow Connection” were banned because they “could be deemed controversial” according to a school board policy on classroom etiquette regarding controversial issues. 

Students Were Excited To Perform The Song

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? @waukeshaschools @DollyParton @MileyCyrus @mileyworld @gsafewi @CivilRights #publicschools pic.twitter.com/8Na0nETmDw

— Maestra Melissa (@melissatempel) March 21, 2023

First-grade teacher Melissa Tempel in charge of the class that was supposed to perform the song posted the school administration’s decision to Twitter, writing “’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?”

Within a day of students learning the song, Tempel said that the school administration asked her to remove “Rainbowland” from the concert. 

In a public statement released by the school, authorities explained that “they determined that the song could be deemed controversial in accordance with the policy”. 

Ban On Rainbow Flags

Waukesha school district Superintendent James Sebert has previously prohibited rainbows and pride flags from being displayed in classrooms. In December 2021, Summit View Elementary special education kindergarten teacher Sarah Whaley refused to take down an LGBTQI pride flag and was suspended for a day by the district. 

“Our advocacy for curricular resources and support for learning are never-ending, but our personal beliefs and convictions must stay out of the classroom,” Sebert and Deputy Superintendent Joseph Koch said in their letter at the time. 

Rainbowland

Tempel spoke to CNN, stating that “Rainbowland” wasn’t “just a song.”

She asserted that she wanted to continue to “support inclusivity”, adding “the love and acceptance piece, and being who you are, I don’t think there’s anything political about that.”

Sarah Schindler, mother of a first-grader in Tempel’s class, told the LA Times that the school board had “a conservative flip” following the Covid-19 pandemic.