Tonight and again on Thursday, Knox County School Board members Anne Templeton and Katherine Bike are presenting resolutions and proposals expressing their disagreement with Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act.
What is curious about this effort is the timing.
As best I can recall, during the discussions over legislative priorities in November and December 2025, and again in January 2026, there was no significant push to make changes to this law a priority for the Knox County Board of Education. Now, with the next Tennessee General Assembly session not scheduled to begin until January 12, 2027, the board is being asked to debate resolutions that have no immediate path to becoming law.
That raises a fair question: Is this about changing policy, or is it about making a political statement?
Board member Katherine Bike is facing Republican challenger Ashley Sartelle in the August 6 election, with early voting running from July 17 through August 1. It is difficult to ignore the political backdrop as these resolutions are brought forward in the middle of an election season.
Meanwhile, there appears to be a practical solution already underway.
Republican board member Betsy Henderson (Republican nominee for Knox County Mayor) has proposed a resolution to restore Alex Haley’s Roots to Knox County high school libraries. In my view, Roots should never have been removed in the first place. Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk has also acted to reinstate the book, addressing the immediate concern that has generated so much public discussion.
In other words, while some board members are focusing on symbolic resolutions aimed at influencing state law months before lawmakers even return to Nashville, the actual issue involving Roots is already being resolved locally.
Reasonable people can disagree about the Age-Appropriate Materials Act and how it should be implemented. But if the goal is restoring access to Roots, that objective is being accomplished without turning the Knox County School Board into a staging ground for partisan politics.
The public deserves a school board focused on student achievement, academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and solving problems. Political messaging may generate headlines during an election year, but students, parents, and taxpayers are better served when board members focus on practical solutions rather than symbolic fights.
The debate over Roots should have been about correcting a mistake. Instead, some appear determined to turn it into a campaign issue. Voters can decide for themselves whether that serves the best interests of Knox County students.
