Act Would Grant Transparency For Parents About School Library Materials

Image Credit: Washington State Library / CC

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Representative William Lamberth and Senator Jack Johnson are sponsoring a set of bills in the Tennessee General Assembly that, in part, would require that each public school establish and maintain a list of all the materials in the school’s library to be posted on the school’s website.

House Bill 2154 (HB2154), sponsored by Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44), and Senate Bill 2407 (SB2407), sponsored by Johnson (R-Franklin-District 23) seeks to enact the “Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022″ that would require each public school to maintain, and post on the school’s website, a list of the materials in the school’s library collection.

The Act would also require that each local board of education and public charter school governing body must adopt a policy to establish procedures for the development and review of school library collections. 

The bills state that:

(a) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, each school operated by an LEA and each public charter school shall maintain a current list of the materials in the school’s library collection. The list must be posted on the school’s website.

(b) By the 2022-2023 school year, each local board of education and public charter school governing body shall adopt a policy for developing and reviewing school library collections.

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The policy must include:

(1) A procedure for the development of a library collection at each school that is appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials, and that is suitable for, and consistent with, the educational mission of the school;

(2) A procedure for the local board of education or public charter school governing body to receive and evaluate feedback from a student, a student’s parent or guardian, or a school employee regarding one (1) or more of the materials in the library collection of the student’s or employee’s school; and

(3) A procedure to periodically review the library collection at each school to ensure that the school’s library collection contains materials appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials, and that is suitable for, and consistent with, the educational mission of the school. 

(c) A local board of education or public charter school governing body shall evaluate each material for which feedback is provided according to the procedure established pursuant to subdivision (b)(2) to determine whether the material is appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials, and to determine whether the material is suitable for, and consistent with, the educational mission of the school.

(d) If the local board of education or public charter school governing body determines that material contained in the school’s library collection is not appropriate for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials, or is not suitable for, or consistent with, the educational mission of the school, then the school shall remove the material from the library collection. 

(e) The procedures adopted pursuant to this section are not the exclusive means to remove material from a school’s library collection, and do not preclude an LEA, a school operated by an LEA, a public charter school, or the governing body of a public charter school from developing or implementing other policies, practices, or procedures for the removal of materials from a library collection.

If passed, the “Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022” would take effect immediately upon becoming law.

The House version of the bill (HB2154) has been placed on the House K-12 Subcommittee calendar for February 22nd.

*** If you support the passage of this bill, contact the subcommittee members prior to their meeting.

House K-12 Subcommittee Republican Members:

Kirk Haston (chair) – rep.kirk.haston@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-0750

Michele Carringer – rep.michele.carringer@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-1721

Glen Casada – rep.glen.casada@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4389

Scott Cepicky – rep.scott.cepicky@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-3005

Chris Hurt – rep.chris.hurt@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-2134

John D. Ragan – rep.john.ragan@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4400

Mark White – rep.mark.white@capitol.tn.gov – (615) 741-4415

The Senate version of the bill was recommended for passage by the Senate Education Committee and has been referred to the Senate Calendar Committee.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Directory for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com