AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, relative to school materials.
Summary
HB1085 amends Tennessee’s education code to prohibit a local board of education or a public charter school governing body from removing a material from a library collection solely because the material is religious. The bill is narrowly focused on school library collections and applies to both traditional public schools and public charter schools.
In practical terms, the measure creates a specific protection for religiously themed books and other library materials, limiting the basis on which school officials may exclude or remove them. It does not require schools to add any particular material, but it does restrict removal decisions when religion is the only reason for action.
Impact
The bill adds a new subsection to Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-6-3803, which governs school library materials. It changes the authority of local school boards and charter school governing bodies by preventing them from removing library items solely on the ground that the material is religious, thereby affecting local library review and selection policies across Tennessee public schools and charter schools.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill, with unanimous committee votes in both the House K-12 Subcommittee and the House Education Committee. No committee transcript was provided, but the recorded votes indicate little to no opposition at the committee stage and a generally favorable reception among lawmakers who considered it.
Contention
The main point of contention, based on the bill’s text, is the balance between local control over school library collections and the protection of religious materials from viewpoint-based removal. Supporters would likely view the bill as preventing discrimination against religious content, while critics could see it as limiting school officials’ discretion to curate collections or respond to community concerns about appropriateness. No specific objections were recorded in the provided materials.