How Long Have Books With Child Sexual Abuse Been in Elmbrook's Curriculum?
Community research shows books with explicit child rape and sodomy were approved for the curriculum as early as 2012 and appear to have been used as early as 9th grade.
Lengthy discussion with occasional heated comments came during the 7/8/24 board meeting about whether the explicit novels “The Handmaid's Tale” and “The Kite Runner” should continue to be approved for Elmbrook’s AP Literature class.
The content of these books includes explicit child rape and sodomy. Some viewpoints seemed to believe that the inclusion of these books was appropriate given that AP Literature is equivalent to a college-level class and students exposed to this content are generally at least age 17.
But have these books only been used in AP Literature?
Community research undermines that position, with these explicit adult level books being found in Elmbrook’s curriculum as early as 9th grade, meaning exposure to students generally as young as age 14.
“The Kite Runner”
English 9
A community member shared that their Elmbrook student read “The Kite Runner” in 9th grade English. While the student could no longer access records from the class, the student was still able to show a Snapchat group made for this book in fall of 2018, so this appears to be one of the first books they were assigned to read.
English 10
“The Kite Runner” showed up on official board documents as a resource in a unit of 10th grade English and 10th grade Honors English, shown for approval by the board on 10/22/2013. It is also shown on a summary of grade levels and courses.
Current board member Jean Lambert approved this update at the time and the administration was under the direction and supervision of current Superintendent Mark Hansen.
Contemporary World Literature
Official board documents show “The Kite Runner” on the reading list for the Contemporary World Literature course. This was approved on 6/19/2012 for the 2012-2013 school year.
Current Board member Jean Lambert approved this update at the time.
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
Utopian/Dystopian Literature
“The Handmaid’s Tale” was listed as one of the required texts in the Utopian/Dystopian Literature class, which is an elective course. It is currently geared towards 11th and 12th grade.
It shows on official board documents for approval on 10/22/2013 when reviewing English Language Arts courses for grades 9-12.
Current board member Jean Lambert approved this update at the time and the administration was under the direction and supervision of current Superintendent Mark Hansen.
What about today?
Current curriculum documents for English 9, English 10/Honors English 10 and Dystopian & Utopian Literature no longer list either “The Kite Runner” or “The Handmaid’s Tale” although language about primary resources now says “class reads may include” which leaves some room for ambiguity as to whether a teacher could select something not on the list.
Contemporary World Literature no longer appears in the English course list.
Notably, English 9 currently includes “Speak” as a potential resource. While no author is listed with this title, a well-known explicit book that includes graphic child rape is titled “Speak” and is in Elmbrook libraries. An excerpt from this book was read to the Board on 8/10/21.
Comments to the board on 8/10/21 regarding the explicit book “Speak” included:
What’s the point of a book where the heavy emotional issues are treated irresponsibly? I plead with the Board to listen to Elmbrook parents as we share our concerns for the emotional health and safety of our children.
Board Vote on AP Literature Expected 8/13/24
A vote on the adjustment to the AP Literature course is expected on Tuesday, 8/13/24. Community members who want to support updates to remove books with child sexual abuse are encouraged to email all Elmbrook board members.
wheelers@elmbrookschools.org
lambertj@elmbrookschools.org
wackerm@elmbrookschools.org
kurudiyp@elmbrookschools.org
boucherl@elmbrookschools.org
hughessa@elmbrookschools.org
limk@elmbrookschools.org
The pervasiveness of explicit books in Elmbrook curriculum appears to have been more widespread than first thought. This discovery dovetails on explicit books in Elmbrook libraries that have been a point of contention since 2021.
Update: Elmbrook voted to keep these books in the curriculum although AP Literature will now require parental sign off due to the content.
Prior to the vote, Superintendent Mark Hansen publicly disclosed that he received questions about why he has not removed these books and he became agitated over criticism that he “lack[s] leadership.” His comments are viewable here.
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