MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WSMV) – During its September meeting, the Rutherford County School Board is scheduled to decide the fate of seven books that have been challenged for removal from school libraries, over claims they contain explicit material in violation of a state law prohibiting obscenity in schools.
The titles under scrutiny are:
- “Beloved” by Tony Morrison
- “Queen of Shadows” by Sara J. Maas
- “Tower of Dawn” by Sara J. Maas
- “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi
- “Skin and Bones” by Sherry Shahan
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Shbosky
- “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire
The potential ban sparked debate and argument from some parents in the county and the ACLU of Tennessee, who are now raising questions about free speech and students’ rights.
In August, when word of the book challenge became public, several parents spoke out against the proposed ban during a school board meeting, urging members to keep the books on library shelves.
“Banning books is not OK,” said Jennifer Edwards. “Just because you don’t like what the mirror shows you doesn’t mean you put the mirror down.”
“As a resident of Rutherford County, I have a vested interest in our public schools preparing our students properly for the real world,” Angela Frederick said. “And shielding them from books like these does not prepare them for anything but ignorance.”
The seven books were flagged by board member Caleb Tidwell, who during an August School Board work session said they contain sexually explicit content and must be removed under state law.
“I understand that there is some subjectiveness, but there is a line, and our job is to find where that line is. I believe the line was crossed in all seven of these books.” Tidwell said. “So, there’s no violation of rights.”
Tidwell, who spearheaded to removal of 29 books from Rutherford County school libraries last year under a state obscenity law, emailed the district in July with a new list of titles, including the seven now under review.
“It’s not suppression because these books are readily available in other places and other sources,” said Tidwell.
But at least one board member during the recent work session expressed some trepidation about removing the books.
“We’re making a big deal out of books that, gosh, kids are not interested,” said Butch Vaughn. “They don’t check them out.”
In response to the proposed ban, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee has raised concerns about the board’s process, warning it may violate students’ First Amendment rights.
“It is just not acceptable to ban books in this manner.” said Kathy Sinback, Executive Director for the ACLU of Tennessee.” There have to be processes that follow Constitutional guidelines where you’re not just pulling books because of content you pick out of context.”
“[Caleb Tidwell] makes these books sound like filth. But these are books that are award-winning books that have been on school library shelves for years,” Sinback said. “And so, it is very concerning that you have one person who seems to have a personal agenda to remove these books from the library.”
Sinback warned that if the board votes to remove the books, the school district could face legal action.
“Facing First Amendment federal litigation is something that school districts should not take lightly,” Sinback said. “We don’t want to sue school districts, because it’s a very expensive prospect for districts like Rutherford, and we believe that money could better be spent improving things like school security, paying teachers, and other real education issues. But it is our job to protect student rights and the First Amendment in Tennessee.”
Under state law and the district’s library material review policy, the board must vote on whether to keep the books or remove them during its September 19, 2024, meeting.
Copyright 2024 WSMV. All rights reserved.
This post was originally published on here
