I am writing to express my deep concern regarding HB0841 and SB1059. These bills seek to remove protections for educators and school librarians, and I strongly oppose their passage. It is important to note that all materials currently in schools are constitutionally protected materials. The threat of criminalization will lead to a chilling effect that will restrict items that touch on important topics such as reproductive education. This will lead to an uneven application of the law, potentially restrict access to important learning materials, and result in expensive taxpayer-funded legal challenges. This bill is therefore a solution in search of a problem, and its passage will only create an unnecessary burden within our educational system. Parents already have the right to decide which books are appropriate for their own family. They do not, however, have the right to make that decision for other families. Further, school libraries are already subject to collection development policies that include a process by which materials may be challenged and reviewed, up to and including Tennessee’s Age Appropriate Materials Act, which Gov. Lee signed into law last year. In addition, if this bill passes, any business that sells books to Tennessee public schools could potentially face criminal charges. This goes far beyond a parent’s right to choose what is appropriate for their own family and could affect the quality of books and other materials sold to all Tennessee students or make it harder for Tennessee schools to purchase the educational materials they need. This could have a chilling effect on which books are sold to TN schools, impacting intellectual freedom, censorship, and creating access to subpar quality materials. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding HB0841 and SB1059. These bills seek to remove protections for educators and school librarians, and I strongly oppose their passage. It is important to note that all materials currently in schools are constitutionally protected materials. The threat of criminalization will lead to a chilling effect that will restrict items that touch on important topics such as reproductive education. This will lead to an uneven application of the law, potentially restrict access to important learning materials, and result in expensive taxpayer-funded legal challenges. This bill is therefore a solution in search of a problem, and its passage will only create an unnecessary burden within our educational system. Parents already have the right to decide which books are appropriate for their own family. They do not, however, have the right to make that decision for other families. Further, school libraries are already subject to collection development policies that include a process by which materials may be challenged and reviewed, up to and including Tennessee’s Age Appropriate Materials Act, which Gov. Lee signed into law last year. In addition, if this bill passes, any business that sells books to Tennessee public schools could potentially face criminal charges. This goes far beyond a parent’s right to choose what is appropriate for their own family and could affect the quality of books and other materials sold to all Tennessee students or make it harder for Tennessee schools to purchase the educational materials they need. This could have a chilling effect on which books are sold to TN schools, impacting intellectual freedom, censorship, and creating access to subpar quality materials. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding HB0841 and SB1059. These bills seek to remove protections for educators and school librarians, and I strongly oppose their passage. It is important to note that all materials currently in schools are constitutionally protected materials. The threat of criminalization will lead to a chilling effect that will restrict items that touch on important topics such as reproductive education. This will lead to an uneven application of the law, potentially restrict access to important learning materials, and result in expensive taxpayer-funded legal challenges. This bill is therefore a solution in search of a problem, and its passage will only create an unnecessary burden within our educational system. Parents already have the right to decide which books are appropriate for their own family. They do not, however, have the right to make that decision for other families. Further, school libraries are already subject to collection development policies that include a process by which materials may be challenged and reviewed, up to and including Tennessee’s Age Appropriate Materials Act, which Gov. Lee signed into law last year. In addition, if this bill passes, any business that sells books to Tennessee public schools could potentially face criminal charges. This goes far beyond a parent’s right to choose what is appropriate for their own family and could affect the quality of books and other materials sold to all Tennessee students or make it harder for Tennessee schools to purchase the educational materials they need. This could have a chilling effect on which books are sold to TN schools, impacting intellectual freedom, censorship, and creating access to subpar quality materials. Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.