Book ban debate divides Rutherford County School Board

Some members of the Rutherford County Schools Board of Education expressed concern at Tuesday’s policy committee meeting about how to align district policies with state laws that instruct schools to ban books with sexual or obscene material.

Tuesday’s discussion continued months of debate both locally and at school districts across the state about how schools should comply with state laws such as the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 and the state’s obscenity law moving forward.

Much of this debate came to a head last month, when the RCS school board voted to remove six books from school libraries, including titles such as “Beloved,” a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel from Toni Morrison about the horrors of slavery, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a coming-of-age novel by Stephen Chbosky, and “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire, a novel which retells the “Wizard of Oz.”

Nearly a month after that decision, board members in the Middle Tennessee school district are divided in their support and interpretations of state guidelines.

Board Chair Claire Maxwell discusses recent book bans in county schools at Tuesday’s policy committee meeting. (Screenshot)

“My fear is that too many books are getting caught up in this. Too many good books, and too many classic books,” Board Chair Claire Maxwell said.

Board member Butch Vaughn seconded concerns from Maxwell and others, due to the vague nature of some state guidelines that could technically leave everything open to interpretation. He said even the Bible itself could be banned under some interpretations, due to some of its more graphic stories.

“In a biology [or anatomy] book, you got a naked body there. To me, that’s nudity, and it knocks those books out,” he said. “I think this law is terrible.”

Vice Chair Frances Rosales said she believes part of the problem is a lack of clarity on the state’s part.

“It’s unclear because the law is unclear,” she said. “So, the confusion is not our policy, the confusion is within the state law.”

Touching on that lack of clarity, board member Stan Vaught said there’s “always the option to ask for the Attorney General’s opinion.”

Director James Sullivan agreed that more state guidance would be helpful to the district.

“I would to love to have that opinion, because that would give clarity,” Sullivan said. “Any board member at any time could say, ‘Dr. Sullivan, you’re not following the law by [refusing to] remove that book from Michaelangelo … Until we have clarity, I am very uncomfortable about what the board’s direction is.”

Caleb Tidwell (Photo by Rutherford County Schools)

Board member Caleb Tidwell, who has been leading the charge to flag certain books for review by the board, disagreed.  So far, the board has banned a total of 35 books over similar concerns about inappropriate content, despite concerns from community members and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who believe that banning such books violates the First Amendment.  

“I feel like the law is clear,” Tidwell said during Tuesday’s discussion.  

Board member Tammy Sharp said she also believes the intentions of state laws are generally clear.  

“We’re not talking about science manuals, and we’re not talking about artworks. We’re talking about explicit sex,” she said.

The board committee ultimately decided Tuesday to revisit potential changes to district policies at its next meeting.