Florida Teacher Facing Investigation For Showing Disney Movie To Students

A teacher in Florida is under investigation after she screened a Disney movie with a gay character to her students in the class, according to The Guardian. Jenna Barbee, a fifth-grade teacher at Winding Waters School in Hernando County, showed the animated movie 'Strange World' insisting that it was related to the curriculum. Ms Barbee also claimed that she was referred to the Department of Education by a school board member but the Hernando County School District said the investigation was launched after a parent complained about the film's inappropriate content.

The teacher is being investigated under the state's "don't say gay" law, which was introduced by Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis last year and bans teaching about gender and sexual identity to school students at all ages, said The Guardian report.

Ms Barbee has now released a TikTok video in which she alleged the woman who has complained against her sits on the board of the school and was on a "rampage to get rid of every form of representation out of our schools", as per the outlet.

The Florida teacher that's being investigated by the State for "Indoctrination" of 5th graders for showing the Disney movie "Strange World," tells her side of the story. pic.twitter.com/OrXJ36DjW0

— ChudsOfTikTok (@ChudsOfTikTok) May 14, 2023

The teacher also claimed that she was reported to Florida's state education department for "indoctrination" before anyone had even spoken to her.

Ms Barbee further said in the video that she had signed permission slips from the parents of all the students in the class, giving their approval for showing PG-rated movies.

She added that students were studying about earth science and ecosystem and the film was relevant to them. 'Strange World', released last year, revolved around a team of explorers searching for a rare plant that provides energy for their society.

Ethan Clade, one of the main characters in the film, is gay. He has a brief crush on another male character.

Ms Barbee said the sexual orientation of the character had nothing to do with her choice of the film.

"I have a lot of fifth grade students who have come to me this year, long before showing this movie, talking about how they're part of the LGBTQ community. It's not a big deal to me. So I just said, OK, awesome, I'm not pushing anything, just being accepting. That's what I do," the teacher said in the TikTok video, as per The Guardian.

She said that the investigation will traumatise her students.