Thursday night, the Rutherford County School board voted to remove 13 books, including a novel frequently taught in Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition classes, from school and classroom libraries.
The following books will not return to library shelves:
- “Yolk” by Mary H.K. Choi
- “Perfect Chemistry” by Simone Elkeles
- “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen
- “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller
- “Assassination Classroom” Volumes 1-8 and 11 by Yusei Matsui
“Catch-22” meets Tennessee curriculum standards and is taught in AP Literature classes. Teachers can continue using “Catch-22” in the classroom, but students will not find it in the library. The board defied RCS librarian recommendations to retain the title and allow restricted access to 11th and 12th graders with parental permission.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, all five speakers talked about books.
“It has been shown that people need to hear something seven times before it becomes meaningful,” retired educator Judy Whitehill said. “Teachers understand the power of repetition.”
She continued, holding up and reading signs requesting: “Please accept the RCS media specialists’ recommendations for the books you asked them to read” in a variety of fonts and colors. She repeated her request a total of seven times.
The board did not accept the RCS media specialists’ recommendations, with the exception of the recommendation to remove “Water for Elephants.”
This meeting continued the months-long process of reviewing 150 titles already removed from library shelves. The board voted to remove 32 of these titles and retain 10 with restrictions at the Feb. 6 meeting.
Before adjourning last night’s meeting, board vice-chair Frances Rosales talked about visiting elementary school classrooms during Read Across America week.
“It’s one of my favorite times of the entire school year,” Rosales said. “Because you get invited to go to different schools and actually read to classes … It’s just a really fun time to read to the kids, and get into the characters a little bit and see their enthusiasm.”
The next Rutherford County School Board meeting takes place March 20 at 5:30 p.m.
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