response

• May 4, 2021: Letter sent to Tennessee General Assembly, Opposing HB580

response

• May 12, 2021: TN Educators of Color Alliance Urges Gov. Lee to Veto HB580/SB623 in Letter Signed by Over 350 Teachers, Parents, and Education Leaders

response

• August 2021: Ed Trust TN & Alliance partners submit public comment on TDOE draft rules

response

• November 23, 2021: Ed Trust TN Issues Statement on Recent TDOE Emergency Rules Regarding “Prohibited Concepts in Instruction”

response

• TN Coalition for Truth in Our Classroom event established

response

• Coalition launches email campaigns & statewide digital social media ads using 2022 Censorship Bills Advocacy Toolkit

response

• Memphis Press Rally: ‘This is not progress’: Memphis students oppose bills banning ‘obscene’ and LGBTQ books

response

• TN Youth Coalition organizers testify before TN Senate Judiciary Committee opposing HB/SB1944 on library censorship; as a result, bill is killed & deferred to summer study

response

• Four other censorship bills killed: HB2451/SB2360 (Parents Bill of Rights Act), HB1723/SB2006 (Inspection of School Instructional Materials), HB2417/SB2283 (Higher Education Restrictions on Academic Courses), & HB2569/SB2440 (Anti-Affirmative Action)

event

• Chalkbeat TN Panel: CRT laws promote bias in school, hurt mental health

event

• May 18, 2022: Coalition Webinar – Know Your Rights: What You Need to Know about Tennnessee’s latest Censorship Laws

action

• One law established that promotes the teaching of holistic history: Public Chapter 938 (Requires the teaching of Black History & Culture in grades 5-8)

response

• One WillCo parent speaks out to Education Week

response

• TN Association for School Librarians speak out to Chalkbeat and Mom’s for Social Justice – Chattanooga create examples of local level guidance to support

response

• Coalition creates action toolkit to support community members submit public comment

response

• 20 Coalition members send letter of recommendations to TN SBE Educator Advisory Team on social studies standards

response

• ACLU-TN creates Coalition Resource FAQ: Censorship in Tennessee’s Schools

action

• Tennessee’s Textbook & Instructional Materials Quality Commission misses guidance deadline & says its ill equipped to manage library book appeals

action

• Parents’ Choice v. Golden Case: Judge says lawsuit does “not even come close to CRT” and grants the Williamson County Board of Education’s motion to dismiss

response

• Coalition launches 2023 Censorship Bills Advocacy Toolkit

response

• Coalition sends letter in support of HB1078/HB1040, which passes the full Senate, but fails in the House K-12 Subcommittee

response

• Coalition sends letter of opposition to SB1141/HB1377, which successfully failed in the Senate Education committee

action

• 3 bills taken off notice including HB0571/SB0603 (DEI Restrictions for Health Degrees), HB1414/SB0620 (The Families’ Rights & Responsibilities Act), and HB1411/SB1117 (Parent Consent)

action

• Tennessee’s Textbook & Instructional Materials Quality Commission voted & approved Library Guidance in accordance to TCA 49-6-2201

action

• New laws: Public Chapter 438 (Implicit Bias), Public Chapter 448 (Student Pronouns), Public Chapter 353 (Parent Consent), Public Chapter 268 (Higher Education Freedom of Expression & Transparency Act), Public Chapter 278 (Textbook Seller/Distributor Threats), Public Chapter 285: (Anti-Trans Sports Regulations), & Public Chapter 472 (Library Complaints Process)

action

• One law established that promotes the teaching of holistic history: Public Chapter 127 (requiring the teaching of the Civil Rights Movement in 9-12)

response

• TN Association of School Librarians speak out to the Tennessean and Mom’s for Social Justice – Chattanooga advocate to the Washington Post