Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Ga., held a special storytime featuring Scott Stuart's picture book My Shadow Is Purple, read by store manager Justin Colussy-Estes. Earlier this year, teacher Katie Rinderle was terminated for reading the book to her fifth grade gifted class at Due West Elementary School in Cobb County, Ga. She had purchased the book at the school's book fair.According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, "Rinderle is the first known public school teacher to be fired under Georgia's trio of censorship laws passed in 2022.... The laws censor class discussion, give parents the right to refuse instruction they disagree with and ban "offensive" reading materials from school libraries. If Rinderle's experience is any indication, she will not be the last to be terminated, advocates say." A hearing regarding Rinderle's termination will be held in August.
Pictured: Justin Colussy-Estes; Katie Rinderle; and Dr. Roberta Gardner, associate professor of Reading and Literacy Education at Kennesaw State University, who has been raising awareness regarding this act of censorship.