The school administration banned the song “Rainbowland”
The administration rejected Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s “Rainbowland” duet from a first-grade spring concert. Furthermore, the songs chosen for the program were “What a Beautiful World” by Louis Armstrong and “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog. In Waukesha, Wisconsin, Heyer Elementary hosted the concert. The latter is a joint effort between Dolly Parton and her goddaughter, Cyrus. In a biography of the legendary country singer, Cyrus claimed she even contemplated playing Dolly Parton. She had previously appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show dressed as her godmother.
The school district decided that “Rainbow Connection” and “Rainbowland” were too contentious, therefore they were both outlawed. The LA Times received this information from the mom Leigh Radichel Tracy. Tracy expressed sadness about the song’s prohibition, noting that it is about a “wonderful place of acceptance.” First-grader Melissa Tempel is in charge of the group of students that were going to play the song. She tweeted about how thrilled her first-graders were to perform Rainbowland at their spring performance. But our administration has vetoed it. What time will it end?
James Sebert’s statement
The instructor who recommended Rainbowland double-checked with the head of the school. The purpose of this was to decide whether the song would be safe for a first-grade concert. James Sebert, the superintendent of the school system, stated this in a statement made available to Insider.
The statement added that the principal compared the song to the district’s policy on “Controversial Issues in the Classroom.” They, therefore, concluded that the music did not follow the policy in accordance with the rules. The statement claims that at that point, they decided to choose the song “Rainbow Connection.” After parents objected to the school, they added it back to the set list for the event, according to Tempel. The song’s suitability for the first-grader’s age and degree of maturity remained an open subject. James Sebert, the Waukesha superintendent, later sent this message to Wisconsin Public Radio via email.
The response from Miley Cyrus’ “Happy Hippie Foundation”
The “Happy Hippie Foundation,” founded by Cyrus, assists the LGBTQ community and homeless youngsters. In response to the news, the foundation posted a number of tweets. The foundation tweeted, “To Heyer Elementary’s motivational first-graders, keep being you. According to a tweet, they really think that students will be the ones to put fear and judgment to rest. And the students help all of us become more empathetic and welcoming. The foundation announced that they had given money to the group “Pride and Less Prejudice” in response. It offers books for kids in pre-K to third grade that are LGBTQ-inclusive.
An electro-pop song
The song is an electro-pop song that Cyrus and Parton sang together in 2017 for Cyrus’ album “Younger Now.” The song is basically about whether or not we could love one another more deeply or a little nicer. This is according to Parton. It truly is only a matter of wishing and praying that we can all improve. This music is ideal for the moment. Rainbow Connection by the Muppets took the place of Rainbowland. Melissa Tempel, a language instructor, told WPR that she was not given a justification for the prohibition. The word “rainbow” is the sole thing that connects the two songs.
Final Thoughts
Dolly Parton, who is also Miley Cyrus’ godmother, perform the song, “Rainbowland,” in a duet. Parents also didn’t understand why the school did not select the song. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the school board made a conservative flip. Sarah Schindler, whose daughter is a first-grader in Tempel’s class, told the LA Times. The policy changes that have resulted from that, Sarah continued, “have been the subject of considerable discussion in our community.”
Changes include prohibiting instructors from discussing pronouns with their kids or wearing rainbows. It also includes restrictions on carrying any form of political placard. Tempel noted on Twitter that, four years prior, their district had an active diversity team with Sharroky serving as the consultant. We are now in Florida. After hearing the song, Schindler was still perplexed as to why it might be contentious. This is because Sarah has always connected rainbows with spring.
The prohibition, according to Tracy, “hurt greatly” her 17-year-old marching band member’s daughter. Miley and Dolly are only expressing the desire to exist in an embracing, judgment-free society. And a place where individuals are free to be themselves. Tracy expressed sadness at the song’s suspension due to its content. However, according to Tracy, the song is about a “wonderful place of acceptance.”
