Image Credit: Eliott Reyna / Unsplash
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
Parents registering their rising 9th graders for the school year in Wilson County found that they were required to opt-in if they want to allow their children to access sexually explicit material in the school library deemed to be mature reading. The default setting in Skyward, Wilson County Schools’ administration software, is to not allow students to access what has been compiled in the Mature Reader’s List.
The Wilson County chapter of Moms for Liberty began bringing up the issue of pornographic and inappropriate sexual content in school library books last November. Since that time, Wilson County Schools has updated policies to include library books as instructional materials which enables a formal review of books that may not be age-appropriate. The district also promised that they would develop a new procedure to allow parents to choose whether their child is allowed access to a “Mature Reading List” starting with the 2022-2023 school year.
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While Moms for Liberty – Wilson County has not received a complete list of books currently on the Mature Reading List, they can confirm that the following books are on the list:
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Forever For a Year by BT Gottfred
A Court of Mist and Fury was reviewed by a committee in May, at the behest of Wilson County parents, along with three other books. Dr. Jennifer Cothran addressed the school board at their monthly meeting to communicate that the committee recommended no changes for Crank, Clockwork Princess or Monday’s Not Coming but A Court of Mist and Fury and all other works in that series would be marked as mature reading.
Director of the Wilson County chapter of Moms for Liberty, Amanda Price said, “While I maintain that extreme sexually explicit material is not age-appropriate for any minor and has no place in public education, we are pleased that Wilson County Schools heard our concerns and created a way for parents to determine what is best for their child. It also protects the district from dreaded censorship lawsuits coming from those who believe children should be permitted open access to all content without consideration for age-appropriateness. I consider this a win for Liberty. If you are happy with this change, please take a moment to contact Dr. Cothran and Mr. Luttrell to thank them. There is no doubt they would appreciate the kind words as this was a major stress for everyone involved.”
Price said that this solution came from Wilson County Schools leadership. “I presented a problem, and they listened and have been working to create a solution ever since.”
Not every book that has been brought before the book review committee by parents in Wilson County has been placed on the mature reading list. There are many books with sexually explicit material that remain on the shelves without restriction. The committee argues that this is primarily due to third party awards and recommendations as well as literary quality.
Some conservative parents feel that even a minor amount of sexually explicit material in books, games and movies spoils the entire thing, no matter the popularity, awards and recommendations. Some of the books the review committee approved without restriction could potentially be rated R of NC17 if they were in movie form.
Moms for Liberty – Wilson County maintains a live document listing books with sexually explicit content that are in the libraries at the high schools in Wilson County. (Parents in other counties may cross reference to see if these books are also on the shelves in their local school’s library.)
There is a UBC rating from 1-5 in red for some books on the list. This rating corresponds to well established movie ratings. More books will be assigned ratings as they are reviewed. The UBC review process is not affiliated with Wilson County Schools or any organization. It is a national grassroots effort put forth primarily by conservative parents.
Moms for Liberty – Wilson County is recruiting volunteers to help organize book drives for each school in the district. Price says, “We want to ensure our school libraries also offer a selection of books that align with conservative values and ideas.”
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
