'Everybody should have access:' Grassroots Menomonee Falls org. hands out book for free during Banned Books Week

 

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- National Banned Books Week runs from Sept. 22 to Sept. 28 and on Monday morning, a Menomonee Falls-based organization made their voice heard outside of local schools.

As parents at Shady Lane Elementary and Benjamin Franklin Elementary dropped their children off, they were greeted by members of Grassroots Menomonee Falls -- a volunteer-based group that aims to spread "unity within community."

In their hands were copies of "Love Makes a Family" -- a board book described on Amazon as a "simple preschool read-aloud" that "demonstrates that what's most important in each family's life is the love the family members share."

But the book was banned by the School District of Menomonee Falls in July, along with 32 other titles that were removed over the last year.

According to a social media post by Nina Christensen, the president of the school board, the decision behind the removal "was based upon compliance with policies and procedures, not personal opinions."

"It contained content not introduced at this grade level (4K) based upon the Human Growth and Curriculum which begins at Grade 3," the post continued.

However, members of Grassroots Menomonee Falls disagree -- especially as it wasn't required reading for students.

“Children should be exposed to a lot of information, and this is a 4K book, it’s a loving book about different family structures," said volunteer Margie Lowe. “People can hide the fact that there’s different types of families, but it’s real life! They’re going to school with friends who live in some of these families.”

Lowe and the rest of the group gave out nearly 250 copies of Love Makes a Family in about 20 minutes.

“I think they’re trying to drive people apart instead of bringing them together," Lowe said. “It’s just wrong to shelter kids from simple parts of life.”

Following the handout, the school district released this statement:

On Monday, September 23, a group of community members not affiliated with the School District of Menomonee Falls handed out books to students and families during the morning drop-off process at Ben Franklin and Shady Lane Elementary Schools. The individuals were handing out the books near the school but off school grounds. We want our families to know that this activity was not organized or approved by the school district in any way. While this group is free to distribute books as they see fit, it is important to note that this was done independent of the district. We appreciate the opportunity to provide clarification on this matter.

“We’re here to just be like, everybody should have access to this book if they want," said Hallie Schmeling, a co-lead with the organization. “We’re really just looking to have open dialogue; we’re looking to really just figure out how can we work together?”

Schmeling said she hopes this will help prompt a larger conversation about all kinds of families.

“What will a generation of children feel when they see that either books that represent themselves or their families be being banned, or even families and children who don’t identify with LGBTQ+ issues, how will they know?" Schmeling said. "How will they be allies? How will they be empathetic and compassionate to others in our world?”

The district joins several others in Wisconsin who have recently banned titles, including Howard-Suamico, Waukesha, Elmbrook, Elkhorn, and Kenosha Unified.