Reps Harshbarger and Green Fight Back Against Harmful Material in Schools

Press Release

Today, Reps. Diana Harshbarger and Mark Green of Tennessee introduced the No Obscene Teaching in Our Schools Act, also known as the NOT in Our Schools Act, which prohibits schools that have violated state laws on harmful material for children from receiving federal funds.

This legislation follows the actions taken by Williamson County School Board to silence concerned parents. The school board intentionally kept these parents from sharing that their children had been exposed to explicit material in libraries and classrooms. States such as Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, and others have reported similar incidents.

Congresswoman Harshbarger said, "The Federal Government should not be rewarding schools that violate the laws put in place by their state. I'm proud to cosponsor a bill that enhances the power of the states in determining the appropriate curriculum and protecting them from dangerous rhetoric that is creating divisions in our society. This bill is for our children, to ensure that schools, like those in Tennessee, fulfill their obligation to educate and protect."

Congressman Green said, "This bill protects our children from extremely offensive material being discovered across the United States, including the State of Tennessee, while empowering our communities to govern education. Ensuring families can decide what is best for their children while compelling states to enforce their own laws is absolutely critical. I'm proud to have Rep. Harshbarger join me in introducing this important legislation. This bill puts our children first by ensuring no federal funds go to schools that neglect their duty to educate and protect our children from explicit materials. If schools break the law, parents should have flexibility with those dollars. By providing the option to return funding or divert funding to a 529 plan, my legislation is a crucial step in ensuring our children's safety doesn't take a backseat."

Governor Bill Lee is also working to address this issue at the state level by working alongside the Tennessee legislature to author a bill that ensures our children are not subjected to harmful materials while in school. The Age-Appropriate Materials Act of 2022 sets a framework for all public school libraries that offers transparency regarding the books and materials children can access. It also creates a standardized review framework to ensure school library collections are periodically evaluated for age-appropriateness.

The legislation has passed the Education Committee, both chambers, and is headed to Governor Lee's desk for signing.

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