Overland Park ? The father of a young woman slain three years ago in a highly publicized murder case has signed a formal challenge asking that a short story written by Margaret Atwood be removed from a high school’s curriculum.

Four months ago, a group of parents and community members petitioned the Blue Valley School District in suburban Kansas City to remove 14 novels, which they said contained vulgar language, sexual explicitness or violent imagery. The books were not removed.

The new complaint involves Atwood’s short story “Rape Fantasies,” which is included in an anthology of literature used at Blue Valley North High School. In the story, a woman recounts a conversation about rape that she and her female co-workers had during their break.

Charles Morasch, who ran unsuccessfully for the school board this spring, called the story to the attention of Roger Kemp. His daughter Ali, 19, was killed in June 2002 while working at a neighborhood swimming pool in Leawood.

The search for a killer was featured on billboards throughout the area and on the “America’s Most Wanted” television show. Benjamin Appleby, arrested in Connecticut in November, has told police he beat, strangled and attempted to rape the young woman.

Atwood’s story is included in the anthology “Literature: Structure, Sound & Sense” by Laurence Perrine and Thomas R. Arp. Susan Swift, the district’s assistant superintendent for education services, said the anthology was used in senior Advanced Placement classes, which include college-level course work.

Swift said someone challenging a learning resource must first speak to the teacher who assigned it to students and then to the principal. Morasch said he met with the teacher and principal of Blue Valley North High School and intends to pursue the matter to the next level.

The next step would be a request for a building-level review of the story by a committee of parents, students and teachers. If the committee decides the story should remain in the curriculum, Morasch could appeal to the school board.

Kemp said he had made his point and didn’t realize that by signing he was participating in a formal challenge of use of the story.