Wilson County Schools is working to comply with a new state law that bans books and materials containing references to sex and violence in public school libraries.
However, contrary to other media reports, the district does not intend to close any libraries.
The State Parliament’s amendments to the Age-Appropriate Materials Act, 2022 came into effect on July 1.
“We will fully comply with the guidelines and the removal of the materials will be done in a productive and expedited process,” said Bart Barker, spokesman for Wilson County Schools. “But we have no intention of closing libraries as we implement this new legislation.”
The law has been criticized by critics, including Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read, who called the rule “draconian.” PEN America is a nonprofit organization that supports free expression in literature.
“As we prepare for the new school year, teachers and librarians should focus on helping students, not on clearing books from shelves,” Meehan’s statement continued.
There were reports that Green Hill High School in Wilson County closed its library to comply with the new legislation.
The district claims that Green Hill Library and other libraries will be used as a central hub to distribute Chromebooks and textbooks to students at the beginning of the school year before other lending operations begin.
On August 1, classes returned for Wilson County students.
Normal library operations will resume when Green Hill and other schools that use libraries to distribute Chromebook and textbook materials are ready, Barker said, estimating the process will be completed by the end of the week.
School Principal Jeff Luttrell told board members at the August meeting that the new law would require the removal of some books.
Thousands of books and materials will need to be checked by media specialists and library staff to ensure compliance with the new legislation as part of their regular work, Barker said.
“We will comply, but at the same time we will not instill fear in our administrators, teachers and staff as we make this library transformation that will affect certain materials and titles,” Barker said.
Wilson County parents initiated new legislation
The law prohibits material that contains nudity or describes or depicts sexual arousal, sexual conduct, excessive violence or sadomasochistic abuse, in accordance with the state’s obscenity laws. It also stipulates that material that appeals to “lewd interests” should not be considered appropriate for school-age students.
State Rep. Susan Lynn was the lead sponsor of the bill amending the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022, which requires public schools to maintain a list of materials in the school library collection and post it on the school website.
In addition, each local school board and each governing body of a public charter school will be required to adopt a policy establishing procedures for the development and review of school library collections.
“Unfortunately, ongoing complaints from parents in the Wilson County School District have shown that despite the law, sexually explicit books continue to be found in our schools,” Lynn said in a statement. “Therefore, this bill clarifies the law so that hopefully there will be no misunderstandings about what constitutes sexually explicit material.”
The Williamson County School Board adopted a policy in June that makes school librarians responsible for the materials in their school libraries, including compliance with state laws.
Rutherford County Schools has also grappled with the new legislation, adopting a policy requiring that violative materials be removed and that library content be reviewed regularly. The school board is expected to vote on the policy on Thursday, district spokesman James Evans said.
There were doubts as to whether the new legislation would also apply to the Bible.
“However, the law is very clear regarding community standards, and by any standard in Tennessee, the Bible has always been acceptable,” Lynn said.
Reach Andy Humbles at [email protected] or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @AndyHumbles.
