Florida trainer going through investigation for screening Disney film with homosexual character to college students

A Florida trainer is going through an investigation by the state Division of Schooling after she screened a Disney film with a homosexual character to her college students within the classroom, she mentioned.

Jenna Barbee, a fifth-grade trainer at Winding Waters College in Hernando County, defended her determination to play the film “Unusual World” in a video statement on TikTok.

Barbee mentioned she screened the PG-rated film starring Jake Gyllenhaal to present college students a break after exams.

She claimed that each one her college students had parent-signed permission slips to observe PG motion pictures. Nonetheless, a guardian and college board member later objected to the movie’s inclusion of an LGBTQ character.

The varsity board member, recognized as Shannon Rodriguez by the Tallahassee Democrat, reported Barbee to the Division of Schooling for indoctrination, the educator alleged.

Barbee is now underneath investigation for potential violations of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ so-called “Don’t say homosexual” regulation which bans teachings about gender and sexual id to college students in Florida public faculties.

However the trainer mentioned she confirmed the film as a result of it included classes about earth science and ecosystems that her college students have been studying about within the curriculum. She additionally mentioned the film consists of social and emotional classes like “overcoming variations, spreading kindness, communication and chasing you goals.”

“Is a personality within the film LGBTQ? Completely. Is that why I confirmed it? No,” Barbee mentioned.

“I’ve lots of fifth-grade college students who’ve come to me this 12 months lengthy earlier than exhibiting this film speaking about how they’re a part of this group as nicely and it’s not an enormous deal to me so I mentioned OK that’s superior, you do you. Not pushing something, simply being accepting. That’s what I do.”

The animated movie features a central character named Ethan Clade who’s homosexual and has a crush on one other male character as a small facet plot.

Barbee mentioned Rodriguez — an obvious member of the rightwing group Mothers for Liberty — has plotted a “rampage to eliminate each type of illustration out of our faculties” as a college board member.

“It isn’t a trainer’s job to impose their beliefs upon a toddler,” Rodriguez mentioned at a college board assembly final week, in response to the native publication. “Permitting motion pictures akin to this help lecturers in opening a door for conversations that haven’t any place in our classroom.”

Nonetheless, Barbee mentioned her college students didn’t suppose something of the homosexual character till the investigation started and so they have been interrogated by state investigators one after the other.

“Have you learnt the trauma that’s going to trigger to a few of my college students?” Barbee mentioned. “A few of them can barely come and have a dialog with me, and are simply getting comfy with me, and now an investigator is allowed to return and interrogate them. Are you kidding me? What’s that exhibiting them?”