Challenge Denied

I wrote previously about an effort to remove the book Ways to Make Sunshine from school libraries in Sumner County.

After holding a hearing, the Board voted unanimously to deny the challenge – and to keep the book in school libraries.

Here’s more from NewsBreak:

The Sumner County School Board last week unanimously voted to keep the book “Ways to Make Sunshine” in school libraries. The book had been challenged as part of a new process that allows parents and community members to ask that books in school libraries be reviewed for possible removal.

After receiving a challenge to the book “Ways to Make Sunshine,” the board referred the book to a review committee.

That committee recommended keeping the book in the system’s school libraries.

Local education advocacy group Sumner For Good had encouraged the School Board to keep the book and celebrated the vote that will allow it to stay in libraries.

The group said of the vote:

“The Sumner County School Board voted to uphold the review committee’s choice and keep the beautiful story “Ways to Make Sunshine” by Renee Watson in our schools. This is another win for our kids, teachers, librarians, and staff.”

books
Photo by Emily on Pexels.com

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

Book Banning on the Agenda

Once again, a Sumner County School Board meeting will involve a review of a library book – and the possible removal of that book. The district has been down this road before:

Here’s more from NewsBreak on the current controversy:

The Sumner County School Board will meet in a study session on Tuesday, January 10th at 6PM. The meeting will include a discussion of whether or not the book “Ways to Make Sunshine” should be removed from the school system’s libraries.

The review process comes as a result of a challenge to the book subject to Tennessee’s new law allowing members of the community to suggest to the School Board that a book currently circulating in the school system’s libraries violates “community standards.”

After receiving a challenge to the book “Ways to Make Sunshine,” the board referred the book to a review committee.

That committee has recommended keeping the book in the system’s school libraries.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

Sumner County Commission Says Books Cause “Destruction of Nuclear Family”

Commission passes resolution calling for removal of two books from all school libraries

Using a new Tennessee state law about “appropriate” texts in school libraries, the Sumner County Commission this week passed a resolution calling for the removal of Zetta Elliott’s A Place Inside of Me and Laurence Yep’s Dragonwings.

Here’s more from NewsBreak:

The Sumner County Commission passed a resolution at its meeting last night (11/14/22) that states that two books currently circulating in libraries in Sumner County Schools violate state law and should be removed from all libraries in the county. The move comes as the Sumner County School Board is prepared to hold a hearing on the books at a meeting this week.

The resolution states “text found in the books has examples of racism, underage drinking, foul language, violence, drugs, prostitution, alcohol, hatred of police, overthrow of the government, destruction of the nuclear family, and communism.”

The Sumner County School Board previously held a meeting on A Place Inside of Me. At that meeting, there were 5 votes to keep the book, but six are needed. Two members of the Board were absent.

The board will meet tonight (11/15) to hear discussion on the book and vote again.

A local advocacy group says the County Commission’s action was intended to influence tonight’s vote:

Local advocacy group Sumner For Good is urging citizens to show up in support of the books. The group specifically called out the Commission’s vote as a “strong arm” tactic designed to change votes on the School Board.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

Story Time in Sumner County

It turns out, all those legislative attempts to have books removed from school libraries are bearing fruit. That is, a policy that allows community members to challenge school library books and creates a process for removing those books is in full effect.

Sadly, one of the first books in question is one that makes certain white people uncomfortable.

Or, in other words, the law the General Assembly passed is doing EXACTLY what a majority at the General Assembly wanted.

Here’s more from a public meeting in Sumner County over a request to ban Zetta Elliott’s “A Place Inside of Me”

To be clear: 5 members of the Sumner School Board voted to keep the book, 1 voted to remove it, and 2 abstained – 6 votes were required for a final decision, so the matter will be back before the Board in November.

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1583133356342272000?s=20&t=oeh3YYYFs9Fpg8dSi7zmUg
https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1582832088134619136?s=20&t=oeh3YYYFs9Fpg8dSi7zmUg

MORE on the Tennessee General Assembly’s radical agenda:

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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Back to School During the War on Knowledge

What’s it like to be a Tennessee teacher during what can best be described as a “War on Knowledge” being waged by Gov. Bill Lee and the General Assembly?

Well, one teacher shares her story – with thanks to The Tennessee Holler for sharing it.

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1558858550214115328?s=20&t=zl6zmL5CHpFNnoyoeOm5wQ

Policy decisions have practical consequences. Maybe Gov. Lee or House Education Committee Chair Mark White would like to go to TN classrooms and start cataloguing the books?

Or maybe they could just repeal ridiculous laws like this one?

Unfortunately, instead, they’ll just keep pushing relentlessly toward full-on privatization of our public schools.

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

MORE EDUCATION NEWS

Hillsdale vs. Your Local School Board

Back to School 2022

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Lock Them Up?!

Will Tennessee librarians face criminal liability?

In May, I wrote about legislative attempts to criminalize school librarians if so-called “objectionable” books were found in the stacks of their libraries.

Apparently, the incoming District Attorney in Chattanooga is willing to consider criminal liability along these lines as she indicates in the video below.

https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1557428224426123265?s=20&t=eLmbicmAoymaGgA6Nucd3w

Also, she mentions she’s besties with Moms for Liberty.

Will Moms for Liberty be giving Wamp and the Sheriff a list of books which, if present, should result in prosecution?

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

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BANNED: TN School District Seeks to Silence the Truth

The Tennessee Holler reports that the McMinn County School Board voted to ban the Pulitzer-winning graphic novel “Maus.” Here’s more from the Holler’s Twitter feed and from related tweets:

https://twitter.com/myvoiceisfury/status/1486489889189384192?s=20
https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1486470195036270600?s=20
https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1486555986001375235?s=20

For more on education politics and policy in Tennessee, follow @TNEdReport

Your support – $5 or more – makes publishing education news possible.