LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — It was a heated discussion on parent choice, books and students.
Wilson County School leaders are removing two books from its high schools that some say are obscene.
The meeting brought out emotions from all sides.
The book "Tricks" is centered around troubled teenagers falling into prostitution while "Jack of Hearts" is about an LGBTQ teen working to uncover a blackmailer threatening him back into the closet.
On Monday night, the book committee review recommended that both books stay on the “mature reading list.” This would give parents and guardians the choice to have their children read the materials.
Meanwhile, the school board voted to have the books removed.
"While I find the books that were in question not to be of my taste — very difficult content, very difficult subject matters — I do not feel it is my place as a parent to determine what is the correct decision for another parent," said parent Renee Zaremba.
Before the vote, the books were on the library shelves and not in a mature book section or someplace more out of reach.
Many parents say this was their biggest concern knowing students could access them while at school.
"Why are these books that contain this kind of overt adult sexual content within the walls of a children’s library?" one parent said at the meeting. "The school board and parents met to discuss placing two books on the mature list, which would give parents and guardians the choice to have their children read the materials."
But some say it's about choice.
"Not everybody has access to buy books for their kids, and that's why I don't feel that removing them from the shelves is the answer," said Zaremba said.
The board will meet again next month — when they may vote to remove an additional book.
