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
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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:

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