A parent blasted Sweetwater County School District officials this week over what she said was a lack of response over her kindergartener being read a book in the classroom about nonbinary gender ideology.
Sage Elementary School Principal Darcie Punches-Mickelson said the incident, which occurred late last year, was a short-lived mistake in the remaining minutes of the school day and that the teacher stopped reading the book as soon as she realized what it was about.
Punches-Mickelson disputed the parent’s account, saying school officials spoke directly to the child’s parents and promptly removed the book from classrooms at the Rock Springs elementary school.
The child’s class was read the book, “My Shadow is Purple,” a rhyming picture book by Scott Stuart about a child whose “shadow” is neither the traditional boy color of blue nor pink, but purple, representing a mix of both but also something new.
The Parent’s Report
At Monday's Sweetwater County No. 1 School Board meeting, parent Erin Massey told her story to the school board after she said she had made repeated attempts by email and phone to talk to school officials about the incident. Her calls and emails went nowwhere, she said.
“In December, a school in this district read, ‘My Shadow is Purple’ to 5-and-6-year-olds,” she said. “After reading, kindergarteners were pressured to publicly identify their gender by color.”
In 2024, Wyoming lawmakers passed a law that bans districts from conducting lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity without parental permission.
It’s unclear if this incident violates the law, but Massey said her child was asked questions about the book — a claim the school denied.
Massey told Cowboy State Daily her 5-year-old son answered that he most identified with his favorite colors — purple and yellow. The boy’s parents are originally from Louisiana. Purple and yellow are the school colors of Louisiana State University, whose sports teams the family closely follows.
Later, through tears at home, the boy told his mom he was afraid his teacher would think he was identifying with the boy who thinks he’s a girl in the book.
“He was so upset by it,” Massey said.
She said the issue isn’t about being for or against nonbinary gender identification. Rather, it’s about exposing children to complex ideas before they’re old enough to truly understand them — and how a book about nonbinary gender ideology was in a classroom occupied by kindergarteners to begin with.
“These kids can't even spell,” Massey told the school board. “You aren't opening minds. You are overstepping your authority. Our children are not your laboratory animals, and these classrooms are not your testing ground for social engineering.
"A school’s job is to focus on academics, Massey said. “Teach them basics. Teach them how to read,” she said.
The Principal’s Response
Darcie Punches-Mickelson, the principal of Sage Elementary School where the incident occurred, acknowledged that the book, “My Shadow is Purple,” was in the classroom.
But it shouldn’t have been there, she said. As soon as the teacher realized the book’s content, she stopped reading, Punches-Mickelson said.
“The book was read in a small-group enrichment setting and not within the general education classroom,” Punches-Mickelson told Cowboy State Daily in an email. “The material was selected by a student from a Scholastic book box during the final minutes of class after completion of the daily assignment, for the teacher to read until dismissal.
"Upon beginning to read the book aloud, the teacher recognized that the content was not appropriate. She immediately redirected, adjusted the story in the moment, and discontinued reading. The book was not completed.”
Punches-Mickelson said the book had been sent to the school as a grab-and-go book from the Scholastic book company. It has since been removed from the reading box.
“We will exercise increased diligence in reviewing any materials provided through this vendor in the future,” Punches-Mickelson said.
She denied Massey’s claim that the teacher asked students to publicly identify their gender by color.
“At no time did the teacher initiate questions, promote discussion, or provide instruction related to non-binary ideology,” Punches-Mickelson said.
The school is also conducting a comprehensive review of books outside the formal library inventory “to ensure appropriate oversight and to prevent a similar occurrence in the future,” she said.
The book is not an approved part of the school curriculum.
Separately, an appeals court is currently considering whether the district’s transgender “privacy” policy violates parents’ rights, after a local couple accused teachers of calling their daughter by a boy's name without telling them.
At The School Board Meeting
During the Sweetwater County No. 1 School Board meeting, Massey told the board she has since pulled her 5-year-old son from the school and is now homeschooling him.
“My presence here today isn't about our exit,” she said. “It's about the integrity of the institution we leave behind.”
She slammed the district for failing to properly address the situation.
“Apparently, in Sweetwater County, the privilege of being heard isn’t granted through professional courtesy or returned voicemails,” she told the board. “It is earned by standing at this microphone.
“If your strategy was to ignore me until I disappeared, you failed miserably ... If your goal, however, was to force me to bring this matter before every parent listening, then congratulations, accomplished.”
Three of the seven school board members were absent from the meeting.
Punches-Mickelson told Cowboy State Daily in an email that the student’s father met with her on December 10, 2025, and the student’s mother spoke with her the following day.
“The administration addressed the matter promptly in December,” she said, “and corrective action was taken at that time. Following those actions, no further concerns were raised regarding this specific book, other books, or the incident.”
She said the teacher involved was never contacted by Massey.
Addressing Public Criticism
Multiple district administrative officials at the school board meeting addressed the recent spate of public criticism and allegations that the district lacked transparency and was slow to respond to parental complaints.
Over the last few months, parents criticized the delayed response when a teacher accidentally projected a personal nude photo during a special education class.
Investigators recently found special-education violations tied to student privacy and parental rights at the school district, and the Wyoming Department of Education has launched an investigation into the district’s special education program after receiving multiple noncompliance complaints.
People have also recently expressed outrage over reports of school officials wearing vulgar wristbands.
Parents blasted the board for high staff vacancies and an unannounced pay raise for superintendent Joseph Libby.
Assistant Superintendent Nicole Bolton spoke broadly about district and administrative actions and communication protocol concerning personnel and individual behavior at this week’s school board meeting.
“The absence of public commentary should not be interpreted as lack of action accountability, or that we're hiding something,” she said. “Rather, it reflects a commitment of handling sensitive matters responsibly, lawfully and privately.”
School Board Chair Cole Wright said the district has fielded over 200 questions in the last six months alone.
“We all listen up here as a board. We spend hours upon hours of unforeseen time researching, requesting answers and having thoughtful discussions as allowed by law with the board and district leadership,” he said.
He said the board has been contacted several times by local media, including Cowboy State Daily, with questions regarding recent incidents.
He said the school board and district administration are working on responses.
“It's important to me and the board to be accurate and thoughtful in our responses, so we do plan on providing that as we move forward,” he said. “So, you can watch out for those. We want to make sure that we're getting the information out there as timely as possible, but not so hastily that miscommunications are made.”
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
