Idaho high school graduating students staged an unusual protest at their graduation ceremony, presenting their school superintendent with a book that had been banned months ago.
Annabelle Jenkins was one of 44 graduates whose names were called during the ceremony. Idaho Academy of Fine Arts Graduation Ceremony May 23rd.
After shaking hands with the administrators onstage, Jenkins stopped in front of West Ada School District Superintendent Derek Babb and pulled a copy of “The Handmaid’s Tale” from the sleeve of her graduation gown.
Babb folded his arms and resolutely refused the book, which Jenkins dropped at Babb’s feet as he crossed the stage.
The graphic novel version, written by Margaret Atwood and Rene Noord, was one of 10 books the school district banned from libraries at the start of the school year because of its graphic images that were deemed inappropriate for students.
Jenkins said the ban was implemented without input from students or faculty and with little transparency, which led her and some of her classmates to speak out about it.
“What I found most problematic about this situation is that the teacher who raised the objection had never read the book.”
Jenkins said the exhibit was a response to book actions the district took with students throughout the school year.
“It’s a gesture and you receive the gesture. If you want to make it a bigger show, feel free to do so.” alumni told KTVB.
After the ceremony, Jenkins shared a video. Her TikTok stunts, It has been viewed over 24.3 million times.
“I’ve never wanted to go viral, but if it does happen, I’d be happy if it’s for something that’s very important to me,” Jenkins said. Idaho Statesman. “More than anything, we want to get people talking about this. We want to create a conversation.”
“This book has a lot of heavy themes and can be very difficult to read through at times. It also deals with a lot of sexual themes. One of the words I’ve heard a lot about this book is ‘pornography’ and I strongly disagree.”
What Jenkins finds most problematic about the ban is the fact that the teachers who objected to the book in the first place had never read it, the graduate said.
In December, the head of the Idaho Academy of the Arts removed the book from the school’s library, citing the dystopian story’s depiction of sexual violence, according to the Idaho Statesman.
Idaho Fine Arts Academy serves students in grades 6-12 and requires an audition for admission. The academy is located 11 miles west of Boise.
The school system determined it didn’t have a system “to determine which students in each grade level have access to certain books,” district spokeswoman Niki Scheppers told the paper.
After the book was initially removed from shelves, the district created a review team made up of the chief academic officer, English teachers and middle and high school principals.
The team decided to ban 10 books, including the graphic novel “A Stolen Life” by Jaycee Dugard, “Kingdom of Ash” by Sarah J. Maas, and “Water for Elephants” by Sarah Gruen.
“I think graphic novels are a very tasteful way to adapt something. I’m not saying there aren’t scenes that are difficult for some students or readers, but I don’t think that’s a reason to ban them,” Jenkins told KTVB.
She said she read The Handmaid’s Tale when she was in seventh or eighth grade and then read the graphic novel version when she was a sophomore in high school.
“This book has a lot of heavy themes and can be very difficult to get through at times. It also deals with a lot of sexual themes. One of the words I’ve heard a lot about this book is ‘pornography’ and I strongly disagree.”
The school district criticized Jenkins’ protest, saying it “tarnished the celebration.”
“While we respect people’s right to raise concerns, it is important that the focus remains on students’ achievements and hard work at such an important juncture,” Scheppers told the Statesman.
