A new state law requires Tennessee’s Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission to “issue guidance” for local school districts to use when reviewing whether books in a school library are appropriate for children.
Commission Member Laurie Cardoza-Moore argued the board should go beyond that at last week’s workshop meeting.
“We have to clearly define what this is. Has anybody on this panel seen the books that we’re talking about, the reason why this meeting has convened and why the legislation was introduced and passed,” asked Cardoza-Moore.
House Speaker Cameron Sexton reappointed Cardoza-Moore to the Textbook Commission earlier this fall after she failed to win the Republican primary for State House District 63. She also played a controversial role a decade ago in the failed effort to stop the construction of a mosque in Murfreesboro.
Cardoza-Moore told her fellow commission members Friday that they have a responsibility to clearly define what makes a book inappropriate for school libraries to ensure books like “Me Earl and the Dying Girl” and “The Hatchet” aren’t accessible to children.
“I’m here to represent the parents and citizens of this state and I have seen the content,” said Cardoza-Moore. “The content is not only mature or inappropriate, but it is, it’s vulgar. Does this bring out the best for students for our children? Is this what we want to subject our children to?”
Other Textbook Commission members did not appear to share Cardoza-Moore’s view of their mission or even the inappropriateness of some of the books she referenced.
Commission Member Lee Houston said she’s not aware of the book “Me Earl and the Dying Girl” being on shelves in her district, and she pushed back on whether it would necessarily be inappropriate for all students in the state.
“It’s an alright book it’s not any great literary merit book but it is not appropriate for elementary, but a high school teacher, that would be for them to look at, “said Houston.
The Textbook Commission plans to vote on the guidance they’ll provide to districts next month and several other members made it clear they are not willing to go beyond what’s required by legislation.
“The legislation says issue guidance it doesn’t say define what materials are appropriate. It doesn’t say define what maturity levels for students or who may access the materials. It doesn’t say define those it says give guidance to,” said former State Senator and current Commission Member Mike Bell.
“Our job is just to gauge and provide guidance for them to build on what they need to build at the district level. When you get into trying to define, then you get into legal pieces, well does that work here, does it work here,” said Commission Chair Dr. Linda Cash. “My values and beliefs may be very different from someone else’s values and beliefs.”
School Librarian Recommendations
The panel gave a more positive reaction to the recommendations provided by the Tennessee Association of School Librarians and its two members who provided a presentation and overview for how school librarians decide which books to put on the shelf.
“We’re just here for our students, we want them to be readers, lifelong readers. We want them to pick things they love and enjoy but are also good for them,” said Association President Katie Capshaw. “That’s all of our goals as school librarians.”
Capshaw recommended members to mirror guidance that’s already in place for many school districts across the state.
That includes utilizing a district formed committee made up of parents, teachers, and possibly students to review complaints about books.
“The people on the committee have to read the book in its entirety to make sure that the whole work is looked at together. So not just a small part but the whole thing to decide as a whole book, or material, or video, is it appropriate, is it correct in its entirety we feel like that’s very important,” said Capshaw.
Capshaw also recommended commission members to issue guidance for multiple pathways for books beyond complete bans and a limit to how often books can be challenged.
Parents would have the option of appealing book decisions from district committees to the district board of education and eventually the Textbook Commission itself.
Several members of the commission expressed support for the recommendations the Tennessee Association of School Librarians provided, and it appears likely the panel will approve that guidance with perhaps a few minor alterations.
“What the librarians and their communities have done is given us great guidance already that aligns with TCA (Tennessee Code Annotated).” said Cash. “They’ve done a very good job of going back and checking to be sure that it is supported by TCA legislation.”
The panel will also meet in January to vote on specifics for how the book appeal process will work for parents including how long such appeals can take.
