Tennessee's Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission met Friday to discuss forthcoming guidelines required by a new law. The recently passed legislation charges the commission with providing guidance for local education authorities when reviewing library materials for age appropriateness.
The commission is an 11-member body appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the state House, and currently has a vacancy that must be filled by a librarian. The new law also requires the commission to hear appeals challenging the appropriateness of books and gives it the ability to ban books across the state. Critics are concerned with the implications of this ability given the state's political climate, which has led some Tennessee school districts banning books from their curriculum.
The law states that the commission must issue guidelines to districts by Dec. 1, though the body won’t meet to vote on guidelines until Dec. 2. In Friday's meeting, members of the commission listened to library advisory panelists Katie Capshaw and Blake Hopper, school librarians from Middle and East Tennessee, respectively, who asked the board to consider diverse patron interest and local flexibility, clear communication, standardization of process and the need for multiple decision pathways. They shared nuances they’d like the commission to keep in mind, such as the various needs, preferences, sizes and resources of different districts. They also described processes that librarians go through to acquire and gauge the appropriateness of books.
Going forward, before a complaint can reach the commission, a local education board’s decision would first have to be appealed. Sen. Mike Bell (R-Riceville), who serves on the commission, asked the librarians how often they receive complaints about books. “Rare to none,” said Capshaw. “I've been a school librarian for nine years, in elementary and middle school. I've had two complaints about a book, and we just discussed it with the parent.” Hopper said he hasn’t had any complaints in nine years.
Following the presentation, commissioners discussed details to be considered in the forthcoming guidelines, such as the length of time local education agencies have to make a decision on complaints and how many times an individual book can be challenged. Laurie Cardoza-Moore, an anti-Muslim activist who was recently reappointed to the commission, expressed a desire to define aspects mentioned in Claiborne County’s library policy — which the commission used as a frame of reference — such as violence, sexual contact, vulgar language or substance abuse. Both Bell and commissioner Linda Cash, who also serves as the Bradley County director of schools, reminded Cardoza-Moore that they are not charged with issuing definitions on these matters — only guidance.
Cardoza-Moore referenced Jesse Andrews’ Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a book that has been challenged by chapters of conservative activist group Moms for Liberty across the country, and entered a back-and-forth about the age-appropriateness of the book with Lee Houston, a librarian and commissioner.
“Our goal is to provide guidance, it is not to tell the librarians what they can and cannot do,” said Cash earlier in the meeting. “So I want us to be sure that when we're looking at this, we're looking at a broad spectrum and not [saying] ‘You've got to do this, this, this and this.’ Because then I think that, number one, that's not what we've been called to do, and number two, we're not on the ground with the students coming in and out.”
The commission plans to meet on Dec. 2 to vote on guidance that will be issued to school districts.
