Meghan Mangrum|Nashville Tennessean
During the last days of this year's legislative session, Tennessee lawmakers quickly passed a law opening the door for potential statewide bans onbookschallenged by parents in public schools.
The bill gives the politically-appointed state textbook commission, which includes controversial members like a long-time activist accused of being "anti-Muslim," the authority to hear appeals from students, families or school employees who disagree with a local school board's decision regarding a challenged book.
The legislation is still awaiting the signatures of the speakers of the Tennessee House and the Senate, and the governor.
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The commission's final vote on materials, challenged as "inappropriatefor the age or maturity levels" ofstudents, would then apply to every school in the state, not just the school where the challenge originally arose.
The bans would apply not just to required reading but could also apply to books in school libraries or optional materials available for students to read independently.
The move is the latest development in ongoing culture wars both in Tennessee and nationwide over what is taught or made available in public schools.
What does the Textbook Commission do?
The State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission is made up of 12members who recommend official lists of textbooks and instructional materials to the State Board of Education for approval.
The state board regularly reviews state standards and changes to curriculum often mean schools have to "adopt" new textbooks. The commission does not typically approve supplemental materials that teachers might use in their lessons, like additional reading materials or worksheets. Those materials are usually left to the discretion of individual districts or even schools.
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Who is on the commission?
The commission is required toinclude several educators in different roles, including principals, superintendents, librarians and teachers, and three community members not employed in the education system of the state.
The governor and speakers of both the state House and Senate each appoint three members.
Currently, two positions are vacant and the new librarian roles have not been filled, but commission members include Linda Cash, director of Bradley County Schools near Chattanooga, and John Combs, director of Tipton County Schools in West Tennessee.
The three community members include Charles Crowe, of Oak Ridge who also serves on the Berea College Board of Trustees; Marcie Rudd of Madison County and controversial long-time activistLaurie Cardoza-Moore, who has been accused of being “anti-Muslim” and “divisive.”
Cardoza-Mooreis the founder and president of the Franklin-basednonprofitProclaiming Justice to the Nations,whichis committed to fighting anti-Semitismbut has also previously been deemed a hate group by The Southern Poverty Law Center.
She was also heavily involvedin effortsto remove an Advanced Placement human geography bookperceived by some as anti-Semitic in 2013.
So, how can the textbook commission ban books statewide?
In addition to tasking the commission with creating anappeals process for challenged books, the new legislation also requires the groupto create guidelines for schools and districts to use when considering book challenges.
Most school districts already have processes for how parents can challenge books or other materials to the school board. Last year, the state created a process for considering challenges based on 14 specific prohibited concepts related to race, racism and white privilege.
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The appeals process created by the commission will lay out who can make an appeal and the timeline for consideration. Legislation requires the commissionto issue its findings on an appeal"in writing to each [district]and public charter school."
Schools are then required to "include, or remove," the challenged material as applicable, according to the legislation's language.
This year, lawmakers also approved funding for a new state library coordinator, who will serve as a non-voting member of the textbook commission and will work with districts to approve or review library collections.
What are folks saying?
Most Tennessee library associationsand educator groups havestaunchly opposedmany of the library bills proposed this yearand despite lawmaker rhetoric, most Tennessee voters say they opposebanning books, a recent poll found.
Senate Minority Leader Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, said thislegislation is leading Tennessee "down a really dark, dangerous path."
Clergy, parents, studentsand other advocates rallied on April 27 to expresstheir concerns over granting this power to the commission.
Emily Jenkins, a mother andgraduate of Metro Nashville Public Schools, asked,“How can we expect a commission of just 12 to represent the needs of every student in the state of Tennessee?”
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Andrew Maraniss, parent and author, characterizedthe move as an ongoing "attack."
"Any attack onbooks, schoolsand librarians is really an attack on us, on all of us, on democracy. Everything is connected," he said during therally.
But Cardoza-Moore arguedlawmakers "are not in favor of banning books."
"If people want to walk into Barnes & Noble or go on Amazon to buy an anti-Semitic or p*rnographic book, they can do so," Cardoza-Moore said in an op-ed in the Tennessean.
"What we support is removing these books from our school curriculum and our taxpayer-funded school libraries. There is a difference between the state allowing a book to exist and the state endorsing a book by purchasing it for children to read. We oppose the latter, not the former."
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Meghan Mangrum covers education for the USA TODAY Network—Tennessee. Contact her at mmangrum@tennessean.com.Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.
