Rutherford County board removes nine library titles, adopts parental opt‑in and shelving changes

The Rutherford County School Board on Jan. 23 voted to remove several contested books from school collections, approved a parental opt‑in requirement for a small set of retained titles, and directed that opt‑in books be removed from open shelving and held in the library catalog pending parental consent.

The actions came after roughly an hour of public comment from students, parents and community members and multiple roll‑call votes by the board. Supporters asked the board to keep books they said help young readers confronted with trauma or identity questions; opponents urged removal on the basis of state law restricting sexually explicit material in schools.

Board members and staff framed the votes as a balance between legal compliance, parental involvement and librarians’ professional judgment. The board approved a district procedure that requires parental consent before a student may check out any book designated as opt‑in; the board also directed librarians to move opt‑in titles off open shelves and keep them in the catalog so they can be checked out only after written or phone consent.

Public comment and concerns

Public speakers described the issue as sharply consequential for students. Hannah Stromgren, identifying herself as a Rutherford County graduate and pediatric critical‑care worker, said books offer comfort to children who lack other supports and urged the board not to remove titles that can help vulnerable youth. Ellen Myrick and Elizabeth Shepherd, both speakers with public‑library and school‑library backgrounds, argued that titles such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson help young readers recognize and survive abuse and urged the board to preserve access for students who need them.

Opponents including Brian Shuster and Jeffrey Linseck urged the board to apply Tennessee law on explicit content strictly and to remove any titles that meet the statute’s definitions. Several speakers called on the board to audit the entire collection against the state standard rather than adjudicating titles one by one.

What the board voted

The board took a sequence of roll‑call votes on individual titles and policy changes. Key outcomes recorded in the meeting transcript: - Motion to remove Forever by Judy Blume — passed (yes: Miss Darby, Miss Rosales, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Tidwell, Miss Sharp, Miss Maxwell). - Motion to remove Glass by Ellen Hopkins — passed (yes: Miss Rosales, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Tidwell, Miss Sharp, Miss Darby; no: Miss Maxwell). - Motion to remove Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson — passed (yes: Miss Rosales, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Tidwell, Miss Sharp, Miss Darby; no: Miss Maxwell). - Motion to remove Ready Player One — passed (yes: Miss Rosales, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Tidwell, Miss Sharp, Miss Darby; no: Miss Maxwell). - Motion to retain Smoke by Ellen Hopkins for high school only with parental opt‑in (11th–12th) — passed (yes: Miss Rosales, Mr. Tidwell, Miss Sharp, Miss Maxwell; no: Mr. Vaughn, Miss Darby). - Motion to retain Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson for 11th–12th grade with parental opt‑in — passed on a subsequent roll call after an earlier tied vote (final yes: Miss Rosales, Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Tidwell, Miss Darby, Miss Maxwell; motion passed). - Motion to remove The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis — passed (majority yes; Miss Maxwell voted no). - Motion to remove The Kite Runner (graphic novel) — passed (majority yes). - Motion to remove 13 Reasons Why — passed (majority yes; Miss Maxwell voted no).

In addition to the title‑by‑title decisions, the board adopted a procedural motion that opt‑in titles are to be removed from open shelving and remain discoverable in the catalog; students may access those titles only after explicit parental consent by phone or written confirmation. That policy motion passed on a roll call vote.

Board members’ remarks and rationale

Board members repeatedly referenced Tennessee law when explaining their votes. Miss Rosales, who brought the set of challenged titles forward for review, said the process was intended to follow district policy and state standards while seeking a workable middle ground. Miss Maxwell and others highlighted mental‑health concerns and said some titles could be valuable teaching tools for older students if access is restricted to 11th‑ and 12th‑grade students with parental approval.

Miss Darby and other board members said the district will test a Skyward integration that can notify parents automatically when a student checks out a book; the board also directed staff to return policy recommendations at a future meeting to standardize parental‑consent workflows and vendor options that would allow parents to preselect restricted titles.

What the decisions mean now

Books removed by the board will be pulled from school collections. Books retained under the opt‑in designation will remain in school catalogs but not on open shelves; librarians will require parent consent before checkout. The board asked staff to draft formal policy language reflecting the votes and to present options for parent notification (email, phone confirmation or a third‑party vendor that allows parent controls).

Votes at a glance

- Opt‑in shelving policy: approved (move opt‑in titles from open shelves into catalog; require parental consent for checkout). - Retained with opt‑in (11th–12th): Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson), Smoke (Ellen Hopkins — high school, opt‑in). - Removed from school collections: Forever (Judy Blume); Glass (Ellen Hopkins); Grown (Tiffany D. Jackson); Ready Player One (Ernest Cline); The Female of the Species (Mindy McGinnis); The Kite Runner (graphic novel); 13 Reasons Why.

Ending

Board members asked librarians and district technology staff to return a policy proposal that sets the mechanics for parental consent and notification and to explore vendor integration options to let parents manage access. The board’s votes make clear that Rutherford County intends to couple parental control measures with limited retention of some titles for older students rather than an across‑the‑board preservation or removal.