Wilson County School Board Votes to Remove Two Books from School Libraries

Board vote follows complaints about inappropriate content of books available in system's schools

The Wilson County School Board this week voted to remove two books from school libraries following a hearing on the content of the books and whether they were appropriate for a high school audience.

The books are "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins and "Jack of Hearts" by L.C. Rosen. The board determined that the content of the books was not appropriate for students in high school and therefore should not be available in any Wilson County High School library.

The board had an option to label the books "mature" and only available to students who had parental permission. The board rejected that option and chose to completely remove the books from all libraries in Wilson County Schools.

Wilson County will continue to review books in school libraries, and next month, the board plans to discuss and vote on "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chobsky.

Parent activist Sarah Moore said the move actually takes authority away from Wilson County parents because the books are no longer an option at all in school libraries.

In a social media post, Moore noted, " . . . the First Amendment and parents' rights took a big hit tonight."

Moore said that by removing the books rather than placing them on a "mature reading" list, the board "voted against parents making decisions for their kids."

Moore said the vote indicated that the Wilson County School Board's majority believes it knows better than parents what is age appropriate for their children.

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