County Commission Says Library Books Violate State Law

Commission passes resolution urging removal of books ahead of School Board vote

The Sumner County Commission passed a resolution at its meeting last night (11/14/22) that states that two books currently circulating in libraries in Sumner County Schools violate state law and should be removed from all libraries in the county. The move comes as the Sumner County School Board is prepared to hold a hearing on the books at a meeting this week.

The resolution specifically mentions the books A Place Inside of Me by Zetta Elliott and Dragonwings by Laurence Yep.

The resolution states "text found in the books has examples of racism, underage drinking, foul language, violence, drugs, prostitution, alcohol, hatred of police, overthrow of the government, destruction of the nuclear family, and communism."

The School Board previously held a hearing on A Place Inside of Me. At that meeting, 5 Board members voted to keep the book in libraries, following a recommendation by a review committee. 6 votes are needed to keep or remove a book. It is expected the Board will rehear A Place Inside of Me at its 11/15 meeting. The result of that vote will determine the fate of the book in Sumner County School libraries.

Local advocacy group Sumner For Good is urging citizens to show up in support of the books. The group specifically called out the Commission's vote as a "strong arm" tactic designed to change votes on the School Board.

The group said in a social media post that "We need to let our teachers, staff, and admin know we support them."

The Sumner County School Board meets tonight (11/15/22) at 6:00 PM at 695 East Main Street in Gallatin.

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