After teaching her fifth-grade kids a Disney animated film with an openly gay character, a Florida teacher claims she is under investigation by her school and the state’s Education Department.
Details
Jenna Barbee, a teacher at Winding Waters K-8 in Brooksville, about an hour north of Tampa, said in a TikTok video broadcast Saturday that a parent reported her for playing the 2022 film “Strange World” on May 3. Barbee made an equivalent claim last week at a school board meeting.
Barbee, a first-year teacher, said she presented the science-fiction film to her students because it related to their science courses, and she also wanted to give her kids a break after a long day of standardized testing.
She also stated that she obtained signed consent forms from parents to show PG-rated films to her children at the start of the school year.
About the animated film
Ethan Clade, a gay character in the PG-rated animated film about a family of legendary explorers, has a crush on another male character in the film.
According to her TikTok video, his crush is stated briefly at the beginning, and his sexuality is never referenced again.
A school board meeting to discuss the case
When Barbee publicly confirmed the supposed probe at last week’s school board meeting, videotaped and uploaded on the district’s website, she named the school board member Shannon Rodriguez.
During the board meeting, Rodriguez accused Barbee of “stripping the innocence” of her 10-year-old child by screening the video.
“It is not a teacher’s responsibility to set their thoughts on a child, whether religious, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any of the above,” she stated.
“As a leader in this community, I will not stand by and allow this minority to infiltrate our schools,” she added.
Barbee stated on social media that school officials and an Education Department inspector would be interviewing her students about the film, with or without their parent’s consent.
