Elmbrook parents, teachers and students press board to keep The Handmaid’s Tale and The Kite Runner in AP Literature

Elmbrook School District trustees spent the longest portion of their July meeting hearing sharply felt public comment on proposed changes to AP Literature primary resources. Dozens of residents, current and former students and teachers told the board that removing The Handmaid’s Tale or The Kite Runner would harm student learning, reduce access to texts that appear on recent AP exams and amount to censorship.

Parents and alumni including Krista Allenstein and Melissa Turner described college-preparation benefits and urged the board to “let teachers teach” and retain the titles. Multiple students and recent graduates testified the books produced substantive classroom discussion and preparation for higher-education work. Kate Woodson, the district’s AP Literature teacher at Brookfield East, told the board her class posted a 97% pass rate this year with 70% scoring a 4 or above and said both novels have appeared repeatedly on recent AP prompts; she said removing them could reduce students’ evidence pool for certain exam questions and that district policy already requires teachers to provide alternative assignments when a student opts out.

At the podium, speakers framed the issue in competing ways: several commenters called removal of anchor texts “censorship” and warned of a slippery slope for intellectual freedom; other residents, including Jackie Reinisch Knapp and some trustees, expressed concern about exposing minors to graphic sexual violence and urged trustees to consider age and parental rights. A community member, Angie Pingel, raised an unrelated allegation about a board member’s conduct in public comments; trustees did not take immediate action on that claim during the meeting.

Board members repeatedly returned discussion to process. Curriculum director Lisa explained the district’s multi-step selection process: subject-area committees evaluate artistic and educational merit, TLC (Teaching & Learning Committee) reviews recommendations, and recommended primary resources are listed with rationales and age-appropriateness notes. Lisa said the district had removed two previously listed titles from another elective because they were not taught there, not for content objections, and confirmed a budget for the elective materials not to exceed $20,000.

Trustees asked whether not teaching a given title could impair students’ ability to answer AP prompts. Woodson explained that AP question 3 often asks students to write on a listed work and that, in theory, lacking experience with a specific text could disadvantage students if a prompt references that work; she said, however, that skilled teachers can scaffold alternate choices and that opt-outs have not historically reduced pass rates in her classes. Several trustees urged deference to teachers and the district’s review process; others said the board has statutory responsibility for curriculum and that parental concerns about explicit material deserve consideration. Several trustees recommended further review and more details on potential alternatives and accommodations before a final decision.

The board did not take an immediate vote on removal or retention of specific titles at the meeting; trustees signaled the issue will return for formal action after committee follow-up and additional information. For now, school libraries and existing course materials remain available, and staff said they would communicate opt-out procedures and counselor guidance to families if changes are adopted.