The Georgia Board of Education voted Thursday to affirm the firing of Cobb County teacher Katie Rinderle.

Almost a year ago, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Rinderle was removed from her Due West Elementary classroom after reading her fifth graders “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart – a book that reportedly challenges gender norms.

The AJC’s Cassidy Alexander adds, “Some parents complained to the school’s principal that they were not informed about the content of the book ahead of time.”

Throughout a subsequent two-day hearing, Rinderle maintained the book was about inclusivity, Alexander writes. Rinderle was fired in August and the following month, she filed an appeal.

During a meeting on Thursday, the state board voted unanimously to uphold the Cobb County School Board’s decision “without discussing it,” Alexander reports.

Alexander adds that throughout its 21-page review, the state board found that “Cobb County’s policies are not ‘unconstitutionally vague,’ as Rinderle and her attorneys alleged, and that her firing was not a ‘predetermined outcome.’”

In accordance with Georgia law, Rinderle and the school district will now have 30 days to appeal the state board’s decision in Cobb County Superior Court.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution contributed to this story

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