A stock image closeup of a bookshelf. ¶
The ongoing debate about book bans in Rutherford County Schools reached a new level at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting, after district librarians said they recently received an email instructing them to pull 150 sexually explicit books from school library shelves.¶
According to district educators, the email included titles such as “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess, “Catch 22” by Joseph Heller, “Go Ask Alice” by Anonymous, and “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline. The order follows a recent decision by the board to ban six books from school libraries, including “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.”¶
The topic of book bans has been a point of contention both locally and at other Tennessee school districts as schools struggle to interpret state laws such as the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022, which compels schools to remove books that are deemed sexually explicit or otherwise too graphic for K-12 students.¶
In Rutherford County, many of the titles banned so far were reviewed at the request of Republican board member Caleb Tidwell, who has continually argued that the materials contained inappropriate and sexual content, and that banning the titles was not a violation of the First Amendment as opponents have claimed.¶
Lindsay Schultz, a local bookstore owner who opposes the book bans, told the board during public comments that literature about sensitive topics can help students cultivate “resilience and empathy.”¶
“As a survivor of a violent sexual assault that resulted in a black eye and stitches in my face, I personally understand the power of literature in helping individuals process and heal from traumatic experiences. Books were crucial in helping me navigate my trauma, teaching me that I was not alone, and that the assault did not define me. Books that address difficult topics provide essential tools for recognizing and discussing trauma, empowering both our children and adults to protect themselves and to communicate their experiences to people that can help them,” she said.¶
Elizabeth Shepherd, a school librarian, said recent book bans have been “heartbreaking” for educators such as herself. She said at this rate, the district could “end up with nothing on the shelves for our students to read.”¶
“Tuesday morning, my phone started buzzing with [texts] from fellow librarians sharing their shock over an email that went out to the middle and high school librarians. Everyone was trying to make sense of what was happening. Their fear, confusion and frustration were evident in every single conversation I had that day. Librarians had to drop everything they were doing. No more checking books in and out, no answering questions or assisting with research,” she said.¶
“Some even had to shut down their libraries for the day. Instead, they had to make their first priority book removal, not just taking them off the shelves, but also taking them out of the hands of students.”¶
Local resident James Olexa said he believes children should explore sensitive topics without the books in question, and with supervision from educators. He pushed back against criticisms from groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, which consider the book bans to be a violation of the First Amendment.¶
“I do not think that shielding children from sexually explicit material is frivolous. I completely deny that and I reject that claim. This matters and this matters for children,” he said. “The First Amendment does not prevent school officials from determining that the permission of sexually explicit language, and vulgar or lewd speech undermines the school's basic educational mission. Additionally, the First Amendment also does not permit a teacher or librarian to introduce sexually explicit material to children.”¶
Bryan Schuster, another local resident, strongly criticized board members for being reluctant about their support for book bans. He said those opposing the bans are part of a “perverse movement,” and questioned board member Frances Rosales’ motivations for sending last week’s list out to educators after she previously abstained from voting on the matter.¶
“Either Rosales has had a change of heart taken to an unhealthy extreme, or she has other ulterior motives,” he said. “I pronounce [opponents of the bans] banished, cast out into darkness.”¶
Board member Butch Vaughn said following public comments that the board is still awaiting guidance from the state about how to move forward with removing more books. He said the vagueness of state guidelines has left many officials confused about how schools and school boards should go about enforcing and interpreting state law regarding inappropriate materials in schools.¶
“This problem needs to go back to the state legislature. This is where it came from, and that’s what’s causing everything. This discord, among this board, among our community, it all came from this sorry law. It needs to be revisited and done correctly,” he said.¶
According to district leaders, the board recently sent a letter to the office of Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti asking for more clarification on how schools should interpret state guidelines on removing certain books.¶
Board attorney Jeff Reed said the district should receive more guidance from the state by the end of the year.¶
