Idaho high school grad refuses to shake superintendent’s hand, drops banned book at his feet during ceremony

An Idaho high school graduate took an unusual form of protest at her graduation when she offered a book to the school district’s superintendent, who had banned it months earlier.

Annabelle Jenkins was one of 44 graduates to have her name called during the Idaho Fine Arts Academy graduation ceremony on May 23.

After she shook hands with administrators on the stage, Jenkins paused in front of West Ada School District Superintendent Derek Bub and pulled out “The Handmaid’s Tale” from the sleeve of her graduation gown.

Bub stood firm with his arms crossed and declined the book, leaving Jenkins to drop it at his feet as she moved across the stage.

The graphic novel version, written by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault, was one of 10 the school district banned from its libraries earlier in the academic year over its graphic imagery, deemed not suitable for the student body.

Jenkins says she and some of her classmates have been outspoken about the ban because it was done without input from the students or staff and with little transparency.

“My main issue with this particular situation was that the teacher that was contesting it never read the book.”

Jenkins says her exhibit was in response to the school district’s actions towards the student body throughout the school year regarding the books.

“It was a gesture and you’re going to receive a gesture. If you want to make a bigger show out of it be my guest,” the graduate told KTVB.

Following the ceremony, Jenkins shared a video of her stunt to TikTok, which has been seen over 24.3 million times.

“I have never desired to go viral, but if I was ever going to, I’m glad that it is for something so deeply important to me,” Jenkins told the Idaho Statesman. “More than anything, I just want people to talk about it. I want to generate conversation.”

“It is a book with a lot of heavy themes, and it has some very difficult scenes to get through. It does deal with a lot of sexual themes. I believe a word that I’ve heard tossed around about that book was ‘pornographic,’ which I very strongly disagree with.”

Jenkins’ main issue with the ban stems from the fact the teacher who contested the book in the first place, never read it, according to the graduate.

In December, the Idaho Fine Arts Academy principal removed the book from the school’s library as the adaptation of the dystopian society featured illustrations of sexual violence, according to the Idaho Statesman.

Idaho Fine Arts Academy offers grades 6-12, where the students must audition to attend, and is located 11 miles west of Boise.

The school determined there was no system to “determine which students at various grade levels could access specific books,” district spokesperson Niki Scheppers told the newspaper.

Following the book’s initial removal from the shelves, the school district set up a review team, consisting of the chief academic officer, an English teacher and a middle school and high school principal.

The team determined 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 the graphic novel is a very tasteful way of adapting it, and that’s not to say there aren’t scenes in there that are difficult for some students or some readers, I just don’t think that’s a reason for it to be banned,” Jenkins told KTVB.

She says she read the “Handmaid’s Tale” when she was in 7th or 8th grade and the graphic novel adaptation when she was a sophomore in high school.

“It is a book with a lot of heavy themes, and it has some very difficult scenes to get through. It does deal with a lot of sexual themes. I believe a word that I’ve heard tossed around about that book was ‘pornographic,” which I very strongly disagree with.”

The school district slammed Jenkins’ protest, saying it “overshadowed the celebratory occasion.”

“While we respect the right to voice concerns, it is important to maintain the focus on the achievements and hard work of our students during such significant milestones,” Scheppers told the Statesman.