Preliminary results of a survey by the Tennessee Association of School Librarians (TASL) found more than 1,100 books have been taken off school library shelves since a series of state laws that rewrote the rules on what students can read has taken effect.
The book ban debate skyrocketed in Tennessee in 2022 when the General Assembly passed Gov. Bill Lee’s proposal that required school districts to publish a catalog of their library materials on the school’s website and another that required districts to establish procedures for developing and reviewing school library collections.