A Tennessee school board removes a book about the Holocaust, escalating tensions over what kids learn about history and oppression

The McMinn County School Board has voted to remove a graphic novel about the Holocaust from its eighth grade curriculum.

Board members there said the book Maus contained “objectionable” language and nudity. It’s adding fuel to the fire in the debate playing out locally, and nationally, about what schoolchildren should learn about history and oppression.

The author of Maus, Art Spiegelman, called his book’s removal from the curriculum “Orwellian.” Appearing on CNN, he said he had trouble understanding how his book could be eliminated over eight curse words and an illustration of a naked mouse.

“I’m still trying to figure out just how could this be as limited as it is a problem, especially after reading about some educators at least who were doing their best to try to explain why this was being taught in the curriculum,” he said.

Some McMinn County educators defended the book, saying it helps kids better comprehend a horrific time in history.

Still, the school board decided that the themes in the novel are too “adult-oriented” for eighth graders.

“We do not diminish the value of Maus as an impactful and meaningful piece of literature, nor do we dispute the importance of teaching our children the historical and moral lessons and realities of the Holocaust,” the board said in a statement.

“To the contrary, we have asked our administrators to find other works that accomplish the same educational goals in a more age-appropriate fashion. The atrocities of the Holocaust were shameful beyond description, and we all have an obligation to ensure that younger generations learn of its horrors to ensure that such an event is never repeated.”

Similar debates about curriculum have also been causing tension closer to Nashville. Williamson County announced earlier this week plans to drop the book Walk Two Moons, which was flagged by a group of conservative parents. Seven other texts will have “instructional adjustments,” like skipping certain pages while reading aloud or notifying school counselors before they’re read.

This debate is just ramping up in Tennessee. Lawmakers are already considering proposals that could further limit what’s taught in classrooms.

On Thursday, which was also International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Tennessee Rep. John Ray Clemmons brought up several measures passed in recent years that he said resulted in limiting academic texts and denying an adoption to a Jewish couple.

Blaise Gainey WPLN News

Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville

House Speaker Cameron Sexton interjected, saying Clemmons was straying from the meeting’s agenda. Afterward, Clemmons defended his comments.

“I just added that we should remember if we’re going to honor these things, we should honor them more than with our words, but with our actions, and to remind my colleagues that our actions and the bills we pass up here have consequences,” he said.