Sumner School Board to Consider Removing Book from Libraries

Advocate Andy

Study session will include review of book facing a challenge, fate of "Ways to Make Sunshine" in board's hands

The Sumner County School Board will meet in a study session on Tuesday, January 10th at 6PM. The meeting will include a discussion of whether or not the book "Ways to Make Sunshine" should be removed from the school system's libraries.

The review process comes as a result of a challenge to the book subject to Tennessee's new law allowing members of the community to suggest to the School Board that a book currently circulating in the school system's libraries violates "community standards."

After receiving a challenge to the book "Ways to Make Sunshine," the board referred the book to a review committee.

That committee has recommended keeping the book in the system's school libraries.

State law requires a public hearing on the text, with citizens for and against keeping the book allowed to comment. This will follow a hearing of the review committee's report on the contents of the book.

The board will then vote on whether to heed the committee's recommendation - in this case, keeping the book in school libraries - or to decide to remove the book from schools.

During the challenge process, the book cannot be accessed by students in Sumner County Schools.

In a previous hearing on a book challenge, the Sumner County School Board voted to uphold the review committee's recommendation and allow a book to remain on library shelves.

Local advocacy group Sumner For Good has called on residents to encourage the school board to keep the challenged book in this case.

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Andy Spears is a middle Tennessee writer and policy advocate. He reports on news around public policy issues - education, health care, consumer protection, and more.

Nashville, TN
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