The Maine kindergarten teacher who made an LGBTQ-friendly instructional video has called out Gov. Janet Mills and the Maine Department of education for removing it.
The video made by Kailina Mills, a former Whitefield Elementary School kindergarten teacher, included an explanation of transgender identity and was the subject of the Maine Republican Party’s first ad for the 2022 gubernatorial election. After the ad was released, the Department of Education reviewed the online lesson plan and said Wednesday it had been removed.
“My face and my work have become a political football to pass around without my consent and seemingly without concern for the effects on my personal life,” wrote Kailina Mills, who is not related to Gov. Mills, in a Facebook post Friday. “The most disappointing part of all of this is that the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) and Mills administration caved to pressure instead of standing up for some of the most vulnerable people, families, and students in Maine.”
Mills spokeswoman Lindsay Crete said in a statement to the Portland Press Herald that “the governor was not aware of the lesson, but she understands the concerns expressed about the age appropriateness, and agrees with the Department of Education’s decision to remove the lesson.”
