KNOXVILLE — The Knox County Board of Education voted to advance a resolution requesting amendments to the Tennessee Age-Appropriate Materials Act. This action followed Superintendent Jon Rysewyk's decision to reinstate the book "Roots" to school shelves after an internal committee had removed it.

The committee determined the book was too violent. Chapter 84 of the book contains a description of the rape of an enslaved woman, and this content was cited as violating the Age-Appropriate Materials Act. The state law directs the removal of books containing violence, sexual abuse, nudity, or sexual content from school shelves.

The Board of Education discussed the state law guidelines regarding book removals for more than four hours during a work session. The proposed resolution asks for book evaluations to consider entire works instead of isolated passages. It also requests that the law distinguish material suitability by grade level, allowing particular content for high schools while restricting it in elementary schools.

Outside the Board of Education building, protestors gathered for over an hour, where they chanted and distributed signs. Members of The Bottom, a Black-owned bookstore and community space, participated in the protest against the book removals. Reverend Sam Brown, local president of the NAACP, addressed the board meeting regarding what he called discriminatory practices. Members of the League of Women Voters of Knoxville-Knox County also addressed the board meeting. Over the past several years, an internal review board removed 124 books from Knox County schools.