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The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
According to the TN Holler, the Clarksville Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) is following Wilson County’s lead in complying with an update to the Age Appropriate Materials Act of 2022.
Since the beginning of 2024, CMCSS has removed thirty-five books according to the school board’s policy, which include four titles by Elana K. Arnold, three by Ellen Hopkins, and ten by Sarah J. Maas.
But now, teachers within the district say that books from Wilson County’s list of nearly four hundred titles that were recently removed is being used as a guide in Montgomery County public school libraries.
Wilson County compiled the list of three hundred ninety books after consulting with district legal personnel in an effort to comply with the updated law.
Previous versions of the legislation created a painstaking process by which books could be challenged at the county level, and would have taken years of reviews before titles could be removed from shelves.
Due to lawmakers voting earlier this year to make adjustments to the law, books that contain “nudity, descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence or sadomasochistic abuse” can no longer be made available to K-12 public school students.
Book challenge procedures for parents, students, and staff must still be posted to district websites and challenges that do not receive a response from a school board within sixty days may be taken to the Tennessee Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission.
The book list from Wilson County is overwhelmingly texts that were on the shelves in public high school libraries with a few from elementary schools, and less than forty from middle schools.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Great News!