2 LGBTQ Books Pulled From Elmbrook Schools After Daily Wire Story

BROOKFIELD WI — The Elmbrook School District on Monday said that it was no longer giving middle school students and above access to two LGBTQ resource books after a conservative publication reported that children could view what it called "sexual content" through the school’s library.

The district suspended the books “Queer” and “This Book Is Gay” from its middle school libraries and Sora app after constituents raised concerns, the district said in a statement.

The Teaching and Learning Committee will review the books and its guidance for selecting library material at its next meeting, the district said.

This decision came after The Daily Wire claimed that children as young as 8 had access to the titles through the Sora program. The district disputed that claim, saying that the books were never available to elementary school students.

The nonprofit law firm Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty sent a letter to Elmbrook Superintendent Mark Hansen on Monday following The Daily Wire’s report, arguing that the district violated state law by not telling parents about the books.

Neither school district board President Scott Wheeler nor board Vice President Jean Lambert responded to Patch's request for comment about the law firm's claims.

“Our concern is not whether these materials have merit or whether they are protected by the First Amendment,” the institute said. “State law has long recognized that parents have a right — and often a duty — to supervise what their minor children are exposed to.”

The institute also asserted that the district was not following Wisconsin state Section 118.019, which regulates human growth and development instruction, by having the books in its library.

Wisconsin law doesn’t address LGBTQ people or topics in sex education and has no laws that specifically exclude or require LGBTQ topics in curricula, according to the State Policy Database website.

Only 59 percent of Wisconsin secondary schools provide students with materials and curricula that include HIV, sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy prevention information for LGBTQ youth, according to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States website.

Title IX bans discrimination based on sex, including discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer students in schools that receive federal funding. The Elmbrook School District received $694,419 from federal sources, according to its 2020-2021 budget hearing.

The district library department uses professional review sources to select books for its students, the district said: “The reviews provide guidance on book acquisition decisions and address topics such as content accuracy and age appropriateness.”

Parents are invited to view student book circulation in print and online, the district said. If parents object to school materials for their children, they can request the materials not be used by them, it added.