Hamilton County parents and school board members weighed in on explicit language in young adult library books at a meeting Thursday of the Board of Education.
The discussion came in response to public comments made at an August board meeting about four young adult books, as well as an opinion article penned last week by board member Rhonda Thurman of Hixson in which she raised questions about books that contain adult themes and language and their curriculum approval process.
"I don't care what the context is. If these names, these words come out of my grandchildren's mouths, I don't care what the context is, somebody is in serious, serious trouble," she said Thursday.
Chief Schools Officer Neelie Parker gave an explanation of the approval process of books and told the board that books fall into two categories: instructional material taught by teachers to students in the classroom and selected reading found in libraries.
Board member Karitsa Jones of Chattanooga said she doesn't always agree with the language in books or on television, but that libraries provide options. Also, she said, representation matters in books.
"My point is that libraries give you choice, and for every book that one parent doesn't want their child to read, there's another parent that's OK with that," Jones said. "So what I'm saying is you can't censor when it's uncomfortable for you, because that's just life. Life is uncomfortable."
The four books Thurman referenced were "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway, "More Than We Can Tell" by Brigid Kemmerer and "On the Come Up" and "The Hate U Give," both by Angie Thomas. None of the books are used in Hamilton County Schools curriculum, school officials told the Times Free Press last week.
On Thursday, Thurman also said classics like "To Kill a Mockingbird" had been taken out of school libraries. Board member Jenny Hill of Chattanooga asked district officials whether that was true. The book is part of the ninth-grade curriculum taught to students in the "American Voices" unit, Parker said.
Board member Joe Smith of Hixson told the board a librarian he knows well recommended he read "Far from the Tree," and that he enjoyed the book, but wished it did not contain explicit language.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / From left, Taylor Lyons and Mari Smith, co-founders of Moms for Social Justice, talk about books that are used in Hamilton County Public Schools. The Hamilton County Board of Education held its monthly meeting at the campus on Hickory Valley Road on Thursday night.The young adult books targeted by Thurman tackle multiple social issues including adoption and foster care, abuse and childhood trauma, poverty, racial inequality and police brutality targeting African Americans, according to descriptions on book review website Goodreads.
Members of Chattanooga Moms for Social Justice spoke out on social media last week against attempts to remove the four books from school system libraries. Member Taylor Lyons told the Times Free Press before the board meeting that the group thinks it's important for children to see themselves reflected in the literature they read.
"We know definitively from study after study that when kids see themselves in the books that they read, it positively impacts how well and how much they read, and it consistently drives up test scores. It gives us huge indicating factors for them thriving in their futures," Lyons said.
"So it's important that kids have access to culturally relevant and diverse, inclusive reading choices. Every kid deserves to be seen in the books that they read."
The group began creating classroom libraries in 2018 to engage students in reading and provide access to books in which students see themselves reflected. There are 15 classroom libraries with six more planned, Moms for Social Justice member Mari Smith told the Times Free Press on Thursday.
During public comment, parent Jamie Hall said she and parent group Moms for Liberty wanted books with "dark themes" removed or to have them rewritten without explicit language.
"We're finding repetitive messages and messages about parents - who are portrayed as antagonists, generally stupid, frequently drunk and often abusing their children - and I understand there are situations and children who live in these households," Hall said.
"However, after working 25 years with students in ministry, I have learned that these students need a safe environment with a hopeful outcome and better treatment than what they're getting at home and higher standards for what they're seeing at home."
Edna Varner, a retired Hamilton County educator speaking on behalf of the NAACP, said the group works with individual educators and that the district needs more education, not censorship.
"Everybody has always had the option not to check out a library book, you have that option, and we cannot get into the business of banning books for all because some people find them offensive," Varner said.
Parent Lauren Sloan addressed the board and said she struggled with reading growing up, but that reading books that she could relate to helped her learn to read.
"When my husband, a teacher in Hamilton County, heard the last discussions at the board meeting, his first comment was, 'Shouldn't we just be happy that kids are reading these days?'"
Contact Anika Chaturvedi at achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.