Back-To-School Plan, Disputed Books: Elmbrook Meetings This Week

BROOKFIELD, WI — Elmbrook School District members will meet two days this week regarding the return to class this fall and two controversial LGTBQ-related books.

The school will present its plans Tuesday to resume in-person classes while reducing the spread of COVID-19 and to possibly revise its library policy Wednesday after two LGBTQ-related books were questioned by parents.

Here are the agendas for the Elmbrook School meetings this week, at the district office at 3555 N. Calhoun Road:

Tuesday: The Board of Education will present its "Return to Learn" plan at 6 p.m., according to the agenda. The presentation shows the school's plans to bring students back to in-person learning while continuing to mitigate the spread of coronavirus with methods used in 2020, the plan said.

The district touches on six points in its back-to-school plans:

• Screening at home for symptoms.
• Flexible learning options, including virtual learning options for some families.
• Masks being strongly recommended by the district.
• Prioritizing learning loss after some students' growth declined.
• Student and staff physical and mental wellness.
• Mitigation strategies such as investing in a new heating and air system.

The plan is recommended for approval but may be adjusted during the meeting, the agenda states.

Citizens will be allowed to speak during a forum at the beginning of the in-person meeting, the agenda said.

Wednesday: The Teaching and Learning Committee will meet at 3 p.m. to review two policies: one for enrollment and suspension procedures for students, and the other for its controversial-issues policy for instructors, the agenda said.

The committee will review Policy 6144, which states that students won't be required to read a book or view instructional materials if their parent has moral, religion or political objections, the practice statement said.

The committee will also consider revising its process for how it handles complaints about instructional materials, the practice statement said.

On July 16, the school district suspended access of two books — "Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens" by Kathy Belge, and "This Book Is Gay" by Juno Dawson — for middle school students after a conservative publication alleged that children could view "sexual content" in the school library.

The school district disputed the claim and said the committee would review the books and its guidance for selecting library materials at its next meeting, the district said in a statement.

The books have gained attention from parents on social media.

"Really important Elmbrook Schools meeting for all interested parents," one Nextdoor user posted Monday. "Parents should make a special effort to attend. Some very controversial books have come up in previous meetings so I believe you will want to pay very close attention. You might be amazed at how your tax dollars are being used!"

See Also: 2 LGBTQ Books Pulled From Elmbrook Schools After Daily Wire Story