Two Controversial School Library Bills Being Considered In One State

Two school library bills in Tennessee look to set a national standard on age appropriate books in public schools.

By Rick Gonzales | Published 2 years ago

All Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has to do now is put his signature on the bottom line and the new school library bill will be law. The bill, called the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022, would require public school libraries to look much closer at the materials they make available for students for “age appropriateness.” Since the original bill came from Lee himself, you can be rest assured the Tennessee Governor will sign it.

It didn’t take any time at all for the school library bill to move through the Tennessee legislature. Introduced last month, Lee’s proposal moved quickly through the Senate before going to the House for a vote. There, the House of Representatives passed the bill by a 73-21 margin, sending it forward to Governor Lee’s desk for his approval.

Once signed by Gov. Lee, the new school library bill would require every public school library in the state to publish a complete list of materials in their library’s collection. They would also be charged with reviewing the list and materials to make sure what they offer students is “appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials.” The bill itself does not define what is to be considered “age-appropriate” and leaves it up to the school districts to determine such a definition.

Lee’s school library bill also would require school boards to develop a process where parents and students can give feedback on materials. If certain titles do not meet specific standards, libraries must also have a process in place to properly remove the titles. Let the controversy begin.

Speaking of controversy, Gov. Lee’s “age-appropriate” school library bill wasn’t the only one introduced to the Tennessee legislature. A separate school library bill has put a target on the backs of public school librarians themselves. The bill, which will be discussed in both the House and Senate education committees, would remove protections for public school librarians and allow for them to be charged with a criminal offense if it is found their libraries contain obscene material within their collections.

This school library bill comes as book challenges across the country are on a major uptick. Dozens of book titles have been challenged or outright removed from public school libraries, which also falls in line with the issues seen in specific school curriculums. Teaching systemic racism, also known as critical race theory, has been under constant fire across the country. As for books being pulled from shelves, one Tennessee school board decision recently garnered international attention. The McMinn County school board recently pulled the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, Maus, from its shelves. This graphic novel was about the Holocaust.

Opponents of this school library bill claim there simply isn’t any need for it. Most school libraries across the state already have a similar process in place where parents can use an online search tool to look up specific books and their content. Proponents, of course, point out the fact that it is “most” schools and not “all” schools. All school districts within the state have their process set up to allow parents to challenge books and the review process as well.

The Democrats who came out against the school library bill claim that making this bill law would undermine librarians’ expertise in bringing materials into their library and would possibly make much more work for school boards by having to deal with relentless book challenges. Democrats also warned of the possibility of costly litigation school districts could face over First Amendment rights. “Somehow we’ve made it from the days of Andrew Jackson until now without this new administrative regime that you’re setting up in every school district in the state,” said Rep. Mike Stewart of Nashville, via the OakRidger.

Another dissenting voice, Rep. John Ray Clemmons, a Nashville Democrat, properly pointed out that age-appropriateness is subjective. What one thinks is fine for some, isn’t for others. This subjective judgment could cause unintended access to materials not meant for younger eyes across school districts or even schools. “I’m truly concerned about limiting the information and access to knowledge and resources for our children to get a full and appropriate education in our schools. This seems overly vague,” Clemmons responded.

The second school library bill drew much consternation from those opposing it in debates within the House criminal justice system. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Scott Cepicky and Sen. Joey Hensley, would stop any public school library from making “obscene materials or materials harmful to minors” available. Along with that, the bill would remove an exemption given to protect school librarians as well as other school personnel from being charged with a crime if these types of materials were found in libraries. The bill would also force school officials to remove any books being challenged for 30 days until a proper review could be conducted.

Gov. Lee’s school library bill looks like it will be law shortly. Tennessee’s second school library bill has a tougher hill to climb, so it’ll be interesting to see where that one leads. Either way, the desire to root out inappropriate reading materials in public school libraries is in full force. Tennessee is just the beginning.