Dolly Parton’s 2017 duet with Miley Cyrus, in which they sang “Rainbowland,” has been removed from the set list of a first-grade concert because it is too controversial.
The song was reportedly removed from the spring concert after the administration vetoed it, despite the fact that many parents were left perplexed by the decision.
The setlist for the concert at Heyer Elementary in Waukesha, Wisconsin, included Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World,’ Kermit the Frog’s ‘Rainbow Connection,’ and Dolly Parton’s song with Miley Cyrus.
Rainbow Connection and Dolly Parton’s song were both removed from the list for being too controversial. Parent Leigh Radichel Tracy told the Los Angeles Times that she was disappointed that the song, which is about a “beautiful place of acceptance,” had been banned.
Melissa Tempel, the first-grade teacher who was supposed to be singing Rainbowland with her students, took to Twitter to express her disappointment: “My first graders were so excited to sing Rainbowland at our spring concert, but our administration vetoed it. When will it be over?”
Why were the songs banned?
The superintendent of the school district, James Sebert, told Insider that the teacher checked with the principal “to determine if the song would be acceptable to use in a first-grade concert.”
Authorities appear to have determined that there is too much of a direct link between the songs and the LGBTQ+ community, which is deemed problematic for whatever reason. Rainbowland has not since reinstated Rainbow Connection.
Sarah Schindler, whose daughter is a first-grader in Tempel’s class, told the LA Times that the school board took a “conservative flip” in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, adding, “With that have come some policy changes that have caused some controversy in our community.”
