Elmhurst D205 Avoids Vote On Controversial Book

ELMHURST, IL – The Elmhurst School District 205 board is not expected to vote on whether the controversial book, "American Street," can be used in ninth-grade classes.

Over the weekend, the district released a memo indicating the book will not be used in full, which the district said was the English department's decision.

Rather, excerpts from the book may be included as part of a "text set" of non-fiction, poems and short stories, according to the memo.

The department's decision to move forward with "specific" portions of "American Street" was the result of the community's feedback, board President Athena Arvanitis said in an email to Patch.

"The District engages in a thorough instructional materials selection and adoption process which includes an opportunity for community input.," Arvanitis said.

The district's spokeswoman, Tonya Daniels, said in an email that excerpts were selected from the book because of their direct alignment with the unit's theme.

"The direction that the team chose to take does not reject 'American Street,' but moves forward with utilizing clearly defined portions of the text that align with the unit themes," Daniels said. "Moving forward with this clearly defined section, in partnership with (the book) 'House on Mango Street,' provides an opportunity to further enhance the experience for our students through a dynamic curriculum."

The memo noted the board approved "American Street" in 2012 and 2019.

The memo was in preparation for Tuesday's school board meeting. It recommends a number of texts for the board's approval, but "American Street" was excluded

At an April meeting, Elmhurst conservative Tom Chavez objected to "American Street." He read passages that included obscenities and a racial slur about African Americans.

The novel, by Ibi Zoboi, is about a Haitian immigrant thrust into the gang-dominated streets of Detroit. York High School's English department proposed the book, but the district delayed a decision because of protests.

During public comments, Chavez, who lost in the April 4 school board election, described the book as "vulgar, misogynistic, sexually explicit, pornographic, far below grade level."

Some residents and board members defended the book.

"This book was very real and very raw and very powerful. And I think the rigor was there because it made you think," member Courtenae Trautmann said.