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Parent tells New Berlin School Board 10th‑grade English includes graphic violent material
Summary
At the Sept. board meeting a parent, Catherine Lecissero, said excerpts from 10th‑grade English texts contain graphic depictions of violence and offensive material and urged the board to ensure age‑appropriate reading and formal parent notification; the board did not record a formal action on the complaint.
Catherine Lecissero, a parent and Milwaukee County court reporter who works on child‑abuse and domestic‑violence cases, told the New Berlin School Board at its Sept. meeting that material assigned in 10th‑grade English includes ‘‘graphic depictions of shootings, mutilation, sexual violence and instructions for torture,’’ and that she filed a formal complaint about the same material five years ago but found the texts still in use.
Lecissero said she is not seeking a ban but wants the district to ensure materials are age‑appropriate and to notify parents formally about the curriculum so they can discuss it with their children. ‘‘I am not here to ban books, but I think that they need to be age appropriate,’’ she said, adding that some passages she provided in a packet show violent acts and language she called inappropriate for the grade level.
In her remarks, Lecissero said a teacher named in her materials, Ms. Kowalski, told her by email that she has taught the curriculum for 20 years; Lecissero characterized the issue as longstanding and warned of harms to students with histories of trauma. She asked the board to ‘‘please fix this curriculum’’ and to present material in a way that is less graphic while still allowing necessary instruction on difficult topics.
The board listened to the comment during the privilege‑of‑the‑floor period; the transcript records no formal motion, immediate response, or vote on Lecissero’s complaint during the meeting. The superintendent and district staff later continued with scheduled reports and action items. The board did not record a follow‑up action or schedule on‑its‑face in the meeting minutes provided in this transcript.
What happened next: the meeting proceeded to district reports and routine business; no further action on Lecissero’s complaint is shown in the transcript.
