The books disappearing from Tennessee’s school libraries

Greetings from Erica, Kalyn, and Wellington Soares, who’s joining us here on Chalkbeat’s national desk for the fall semester.

This week, we’re bringing you stories about how schools in Tennessee are now deciding what’s appropriate for kids to read, why some parents oppose cell phone bans, and more.

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The big story

Books are disappearing from Tennessee school libraries under new laws that require books to be “suitable” for students but provide little guidance on how to make those decisions.

In some districts, librarians are quietly culling their collections. In other districts, school boards are taking public votes on book removals. The books in the crosshairs range from popular fare by romance-fantasy author Sarah J. Maas to classics of American literature such as Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that exposes the horrors of slavery.

In the past, a committee that included librarians reviewed book challenges in Rutherford County Schools, south of Nashville. Now the school board is making those decisions —?including a vote this week on “Beloved” —?on its own.

A recent survey by The Knight Foundation found that Americans are far more likely to trust librarians to make decisions about which books are appropriate than school board members or state legislators.

Jennifer Edwards, a parent in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, said “Beloved” had a profound effect on her when she read it as a teenager, and she wants students today to have a chance to encounter the book.

“Banning books is not OK,” she told the school board. “Just because you don’t like what the mirror shows you doesn’t mean you put the mirror down.”

Read the full story on Tennessee book bans.

More national news

Some parents oppose school cell phone bans because they want to be able to reach their children if “the worst happens.” The top reasons parents allow their kids to bring phones to school include wanting them to have a device in case of an emergency, to coordinate transportation, and for mental health reasons, a new survey by the National Parents Union found. Now, as more states and districts ban cell phones at school, many families and experts are calling for a compromise, such as using software to limit phone use during class and thinking more broadly about the role phones play in students’ lives.

Local stories to watch

• The story of how this Denver high school got off Colorado’s watchlist for low performance could be an example to other struggling schools. After being at risk of state intervention for over a decade, Manual High School improved attendance, graduation rates, and school climate, and is no longer a target. “The theory of action was that our teachers are so good and our staff is so good that if we get our kids here and they feel like they can take risks, they’ll grow,” Principal Chris DeRemer said.
• In Philadelphia, some parents say navigating the city’s revamped high school admissions process basically amounts to a “full-time job.” The district has tweaked the system several times over the last few years in an attempt to make it more equitable and “anti-racist.” But some families are struggling to do the time-consuming research needed to rank their top high schools before the lottery takes place.
• Chicago has approved a strategic plan that seeks to bolster neighborhood schools. The plan adopted by the Board of Education on Wednesday also calls for lowering chronic absenteeism and teacher vacancies over the next five years. However, it does not make changes to the district’s school choice system, a frequent point of contention.
• Several Indiana school districts restrict parents’ ability to record their meetings with teachers. Legal experts question whether these policies are lawful and enforceable since state law allows conversations to be recorded if only one party consents. The law firm that helped the districts craft these policies says they’re necessary to protect student confidentiality and that they can help teachers head off parent concerns.