Simone Elkeles

2 weeks ago | wgnsradio.com | Atsushi Ohkubo |Judy Blume |Ellen Hopkins |Simone Elkeles

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN - About two weeks ago, the ACLU of Tennessee and PEN America filed a lawsuit against the Rutherford County School Board for banning more than 145 books from school libraries. The lawsuit argues that banning books that talk about LGBTQ+ issues, race, and racism violates students’ First Amendment rights. Some school board members banned books without reading them, instead relying on a political group's website for ratings.

Mar 29, 2024 | morganton.com | Simone Elkeles |E.R. Frank |Adam Silvera |Chrissy Murphy

After some discussion Monday night, the Burke County Board of Education voted to update its public comments policy. Discussion centered around giving enough time for public comments without limiting the board’s ability to make adjustments as needed. There was discussion about creating a deadline for people to sign up to speak at meetings. Board member Tiana Beachler stood against that, saying she felt people should be able to come into the meeting and sign up on the spot.