Rutherford County residents speak out on controversial book ban as school board awaits state guidance

A stock image of a bookshelf in a library. 

A handful of local residents spoke to the Rutherford County Board of Education Thursday to express their support and opposition to 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 discussion continued months of debate both locally and at other Tennessee school districts about how schools should comply with and interpret state laws such as the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 and the state’s obscenity law.

Angela Frederick, a Rutherford County resident and school librarian in a neighboring district, told the board that she believes the debate over banning certain books has created a hostile work environment for educators and librarians.

Angela Frederick, a Rutherford County resident and school librarian in a neighboring district, spoke out against recent book bans at Thursday’s RCS Board of Education meeting. (Screenshot)

Frederick said that under some interpretations of state laws, schools should ban the Bible due to some of its more graphic scenes. However, she said context is important when considering whether to ban a book for such passages.

“I wonder why some here might think that young people will not be harmed in some way by hearing those stories [from the Bible]. I think the answer is that young people are learning those stories in a certain context. They have parents or church members who are teaching them about why those stories are included in the Bible and what they mean to the story as a whole,” she said. “Likewise, students in RCS are not reading the passages you're picking out from the books you've banned in a vacuum. They are reading the story and understanding the context of why those passages are included. They also have parents and educators who can help them understand and process difficult topics.”

Local resident Hannah Faulkner, who previously spoke to the board in favor of banning “pornographic” books criticized board member Frances Rosales’ decision to abstain from a recent vote on the matter. She said board members should support measures to ban inappropriate materials and participate in the process.

Local resident Hannah Faulkner speaks in favor of book bans at Thursday’s RCS Board of Education meeting (Screenshot)

“Unfortunately, I am here again because we have too many cowards on the school board,” she said. “We do not elect people, here in Rutherford County at least, to walk out of the vote. We elect people to be present and vote, especially with something as simple and common sense as removing these sexually explicit books.”

In response to that criticism, Rosales said she is “under contractual agreement with an employer” and was advised not to participate in some discussions about banning books.

However, she echoed concerns from other board members recently about the vagueness of state guidelines, which have created confusion about how schools and school boards should go about enforcing and interpreting the law.

“I can attest to everyone, including the librarians, no one wants porn in our schools at all. No one does,” she said. “However, there are certain laws that are not clearly stated.”

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.