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Credit: Inside the MagicA Florida teacher under investigation for showing Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Strange World (2022) to a group of students has spoken out online.
The allegations of misconduct come alongside rampant curriculum censorship and book bans in the state in the wake of the Parental Rights In Education Act, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Governor Ron DeSantis promised to stop “woke indoctrination” in public education.
A letter shared on Twitter from the Florida Department of Education accused the teacher, then anonymous, of inappropriate conduct. “Florida is not safe for teachers, DO NOT MOVE HERE,” a friend of the teacher wrote.
Soon after, Jenna Barbie (@becomingabetterbarbee) shared a six-minute TikTok video identifying herself as the teacher involved and defending her actions. She explained that all parents, including the one who lodged the initial complaint, previously signed permission slips allowing teachers to show PG movies to their children:
@becomingabetterbarbee I am the teacher. Here is the truth. #indoctrination #disneymovie #disney #strangeworld #viraltweet
The first-year teacher said she showed the film to some of her and a fellow teacher’s students after they finished taking standardized tests. It related to their current lesson plans about earth science and ecosystems.
“My thought process was, what better way to showcase all these standards, along with huge lessons of overcoming differences, spreading kindness, communication, and chasing your dreams, a lot of which are in our social and emotional Florida Best standards as well,” Barbie said.
While there is a gay character in Strange World, it is not the central focus. The teenage son of the main character briefly discusses his crush on another teenage boy and asks him on a date at the end of the movie. On the other hand, the straight main characters kiss multiple times throughout the film – something the parent took no issue with.
Barbie said that only one of her students had a content exemption for movies – their parents didn’t watch them watching Pixar’s Lightyear (2022) – but that student wasn’t present that day.
“The reason I was turned in is because one of the split students was a school board member’s daughter,” Barbie explained. “That school board member is currently on a rampage to get rid of every form of representation out of our schools. She even spent days this past week going to all the high schools to get rid of anything that had to do with representation whatsoever.”
The parent came as a school board member to complain about her child seeing Strange World (2022) but was told she’d need to schedule a meeting with the administration like any other concerned parent. During that meaning, it became clear to Barbie how upset she was about the movie.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal, but seeing how upset she was, I told her I understood my lesson,” Barbie recalled. But it was too late – the parent already reported her to the state for misconduct.
Barbie said her students had no problem with the movie until the investigation began. “The board member and the state made it a big deal. They’re using it against me, saying they’re protecting the children and it’s for their safety, but what is this actually showing them?” she asked.
Is this investigation into the Florida teacher justified? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.