The Rutherford County School board deemed the content of several books “sexually explicit” and called for their removal from library shelves.
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Rutherford County School board deemed the content of several books “sexually explicit” and called for their removal from library shelves.
The debate came after a state law took effect that prohibits books and materials with references to sexual content and excess violence in public school libraries.
The discussion on the books lasted for over an hour. Several motions were proposed, including a motion to make the books accessible only with parental permission. However, that motion did not pass.
“The mature reading list was brought up at a previous policy meeting and was not taken up,” board member Katie Darby said. “So if you want to have one, please add it to the policy committee meeting…You can’t remove them and put them somewhere that doesn’t currently exist.”
The initial vote to ban all seven books was tied. Caleb Tidwell motioned for the books to be decided one-by-one, with voice votes in the affirmative meaning that books were both sexually explicit in whole or in part and would be removed from school libraries.
The books up for discussion were:
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison, which received 5 votes for removal
“Queen of Shadows” by Sara J. Maas, which received 5 votes for removal
“Tower of Dawn” by Sara J. Maas, which received 5 votes for removal
“Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi, which received 5 votes for removal
“Skin and Bones” by Sherry Shahan, which received 3 votes for removal
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, which received 4 votes for removal
“Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, which received 4 votes for removal
“I knew this was going to be a tough night — probably one of the tougher nights we’ve ever had…” board chair Claire Maxwell said at the end of the meeting. “This week, the Rutherford County School Board was tasked with a difficult decision. This board received over a hundred emails, possibly more, for or against retaining seven books. I assure you each and every one of us has researched, and even prayed, over this. We love this community, and as a lifelong resident who grew up in our school system, it hurts to see this issue tear our community apart.”
The ACLU of Tennessee had urged the board not to ban any of the books.