A Wisconsin elementary school has been at the center of headlines after it removed Miley Cyrus' and Dolly Parton's "Rainbowland" duet from its first-grade concert list, deeming the song "controversial."
Melissa Tempel, a teacher at Heyer Elementary in Waukesha, tweeted last week that her first graders were left disappointed after the popular song was "vetoed by our administration."
""When will it end?" she tweeted.
Tempel added that she was told the song was banned because Cyrus "is controversial."
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"D’oh, I thought for sure it was @DollyParton and her beautiful drag queen followers! Oh well, I can’t stop my students if they still sing Rainbowland. It’s a fun, catchy song!" she wrote.
Soon after, Tempel reported the song Rainbow Connection from the Muppet Movie was also removed.
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In a statement, the district said a teacher suggested the song for a concert, but checked with the school's principal to determine "if the song would be acceptable to use in a first grade concert."
"The Principal checked with a central office administrator so they could review the song together and alongside our Board Policy 2240 - Controversial Issues in the Classroom. They determined that the song could be deemed controversial in accordance with the policy," the statement read.
The district's policy is a set of guidelines that determine if a topic is controversial, and must then be subject to approval by the school's principal.
In 2017, Parton told Taste of Country the song "Rainbowland" was intended to inspire hope and positivity.
"It's really about if we could love one another a little better or be a little kinder, be a little sweeter, we could live in rainbow land," Parton said. "It's really just about dreaming and hoping that we could all do better. It's a good song for the times right now."
The district did not specify why the song could be considered "controversial."
"This entire matter has been reviewed and the outcomes are fully supported by the Superintendent," the district said. "At no time was the Board of Education involved in this matter."
The district said the school instead performed Rainbow Connection from the Muppets Movie, though Tempel said the song was only allowed "after parents sent emails to admin."
The district's website shows a "nondiscrimination statement" that says it "does not discriminate in its admissions, programs, activities, services, or employment on the basis of sex, age, race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability, or any other reason prohibited by state of federal laws or regulations."
