The Knox County Board of Education unanimously agreed to reevaluate the district’s full list of 123 banned books and create a districtwide committee to review books moving forward at its meeting Monday night. The decision effectively replaces the current process for reviewing books.¶
In the spring, Knox County Schools faced community controversy over the removal of “Roots,” which was followed by its eventual reinstatement. The dispute prompted the board to revise its process for complying with the Age-Appropriate Materials Act, a state law that governs what is allowed in Tennessee’s school libraries.¶
Community Support for Change
Several Knox County residents spoke out against the current process during the meeting’s public comments phase.¶
Bookshop director and co-leader of the banned book club at East Knoxville’s The Bottom, Anastasia Williams, was among them. She wants policies to include measures that keep the public informed about book challenges.¶
“I have the mindset that we should not be removing access to books, especially when the procedure lacks transparency and fairness,” Williams said. “The policy before us today is a step in the right direction.”¶
What is Being Changed
Moving forward, policies involving banned books going before the school board will include an additional line ensuring that any books reviewed will be published on the board’s website when members are made aware of a decision. Previously, the district made no announcement about which books were being banned.¶
The new process will focus on compliance, ensuring that every book is evaluated in the same manner, greater transparency from the district, and an appeals process. Complaints must identify the specifics of their concern and provide titles they believe are noncompliant with state law or community standards. Those concerns could include excessive violence, nudity, sexual conduct, scary, too mature for a school audience, or other issues.¶
“What we're talking about now is really taking a step back and talking more about maintaining compliance,” Superintendent of Strategy Kori Lautner said. “That process is going to look a lot more like what our process has looked like in the past where reconsideration requests or review requests have been concerned.”¶
What Role Will the Committee Play
Under the new changes, a districtwide ad hoc committee will be created to ensure that all requests to review a book begin with a form from a school principal. The principal’s request form will then be sent to the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Erin Phillips, who will decide whether the book should be challenged for age-inappropriate or prohibited content.¶
The committee will be formed by a principal and composed of administrators, a librarian, classroom teachers, parents, and possibly a student.¶
After the committee listens to or reads the entire book, members will submit a recommendation to the board on next steps. The board will then vote to keep the book in schools or remove it.¶
“We hope to be able to afford the organization at large, and we would like to be in a position of saying that all material that has been evaluated has been evaluated following the same process,” Lautner said.¶
What Will the Content Committee Do
A separate district content committee will handle decisions on prohibited content and will consist of a board member, educators, and parents from each of the district's five regions and school levels. This committee will meet every other month to review new books submitted by the ad hoc committee since its last meeting.¶
If the content committee determines a book is inappropriate, board members are given 10 days to vote to keep it on shelves or remove it. Additionally, when the board is made aware of a potential violation, a notice will be published on the board's website to provide more transparency and communication within the district.¶
Committee members have yet to be decided, but administrators are hoping to have five to 10 people with spaced-out terms beginning this year.¶
“I think if we decide that a book needs to be removed, we should be able to defend that to some, you know, I understand the need for transparency in as much as we can,” Board Member Steve Triplett said.¶
