Sumner School Board to Consider Removing Book from Libraries

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.

Photo byTom HermansonUnsplash