SB 701

This bill deletes the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 and enacts the Freedom to Read Act. Generally, the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 : (1) Requires that materials in a public school library collection suitable for the age and maturity levels of the students who may access the materials and must be suitable for, and consistent with, the educational mission of the school ; (2) Declares inappropriate for students in grades kindergarten-12 any materials t hat contain nudity ; or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse ; are patently offensive, or appeal to the prurient interest; (3) Requires public schools to maintain a list of materials in their library collection on their website; and (4) Requires the governing bodies of public schools to adopt a policy for developing and reviewing school library collections, which must include a procedure for the governing body to receive and evaluate fe edback from a student, a student's parent or guardian, or a school employee regarding one or more of the materials in the library collection of the student's or employee's school . This bill also deletes present law that requires the state textbook commis sion to assist LEAs in performing the duties required by the Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 and hear appeals of determinations made based on feedback received under (4). This bill prohibits public libraries, including public school libraries, from ban ning , remov ing , or otherwise restrict ing access to a book or other material based solely on its viewpoint or the messages, ideas, or opinions it conveys, except based upon: (1) Practical reasons, including, but not limited to, shelf space limitation s, rare or antiquarian status, damage, or obsolescence; (2) Legitimate pedagogical concerns, including, but not limited to, the appropriateness of potentially sensitive topics for the library's intended audience, the selection of books and materials for a curated collection, or the likelihood of causing a material and substantial disruption of the work and discipline of the school; or (3) Compliance with state or federal law. This bill prohibits any public body with personnel authority for a public li brary from discriminat ing against or disciplin ing an employee for complying with this bill . This bill requires each governing body of a public library to adopt a policy that establishes procedures for selection of, challenges to, and reconsideration of l ibrary materials , which policy must establish that the procedures for selection and reconsideration will be administered by a certified l ibrarian , t he state library coordinator , a n individual with a master's degree in library science or library and informa tion science , or a professional librarian or a person trained in library collection management. Once a content challenge or reconsideration process is completed, this bill requires the library's governing body to submit a report of the challenge to the Tennessee state library coordinator . The full text of this bill specifies the contents that must be included in such reports.