Roots is returning.

In a memo to school board members Tuesday afternoon, Knox County Schools Superintendent Jon Rysewyk announced that after reviewing the situation, he has decided to return Alex Haley’s classic 1976 novel to school library shelves.

The Age Appropriate Materials Act allows no consideration of context or the literary or cultural significance of a book.

It had been ordered removed earlier in the month, after a district review committee found that one passage in the book violated the state’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act.

That law, passed in 2022 and amended with more specific mandates in 2024, prohibits any school library serving any grades K-12 to hold materials that include depictions of nudity or descriptions of sexual conduct, excess violence or sadomasochistic abuse. It does not allow for consideration of the context of the material, the significance or value of the work, or any differentiation between what is appropriate for kindergartners versus high school students.

After a passage in Roots describing the rape of an enslaved woman was flagged for review, the committee had agreed that it constituted “sadomasochistic abuse” and added the title to the other 123 books the district has removed from school libraries over the past two years.

But the decision prompted outrage both locally and nationally, with many accusing the district of trying to hide the true history of slavery and the African-American experience.

In his memo, Rysewyk said that was never the intent, and that district officials were just trying to follow the law — which allows no consideration of the potential message the removal of a book might send.

“While I firmly believe the district review committee applied the parameters established in the AAMA consistently and in good faith — using the same process they have applied to every book reviewed under the guidelines of the 2024 amendment — the May 12, 2026 determination to remove Roots has weighed heavily on me, as I know it has on many members of our community,” he wrote.

After consulting with the county Law Department and outside legal experts, Rysewyk said he determined that there was sufficient ambiguity to argue for keeping the book available to students.

“Removing any book from circulation is — and should be — an immense decision,” he wrote. “Our intent will always be to err on the side of access, which is the decision I have made with regard to Roots.”

The announcement came a few hours after another school board member — Betsy Henderson, who is also the Republican candidate for county mayor — added her voice to the chorus calling for the book to be reinstated.

“We absolutely should keep sexually explicit material out of our schools,” Henderson posted on social media. “That matters. But Tennessee law was never intended to remove historically significant works like Roots from high school students. Alex Haley’s story is part of our nation’s history and he is part of East Tennessee’s story. High school students should have the opportunity to read, learn, and engage with this important work.”

She said she intended to bring a resolution to the June 4 school board meeting to return the book to school libraries. Board members Anne Templeton and Katherine Bike were also planning to bring related measures for consideration.

Rysewyk said district officials will present updated information at the board’s June 1 work session about how the district has applied the AAMA restrictions to school library collections and how they will approach them going forward.

After the announcement of the book's reinstatement, Henderson said, “I appreciate the superintendent reversing the decision and returning Roots to our libraries.”

Bike and Templeton, who are two of the board’s four Democratic members, also applauded the move. But both said they have continuing concerns about the scope and impact of the law and how it’s being applied.

“Roots is a significant work of American literature and history, and students should have access to books that help them better understand our nation’s past and the experiences that have shaped it,” Bike said in a statement. “This situation underscores the need to review both KCS policy and state law that made this removal possible. On the school board, I will continue to advocate for students’ freedom to read and for an educational environment that encourages learning, critical thinking, and access to diverse perspectives.” 

In a text message, Templeton said, “It’s good news that Roots has been reinstated, but the underlying law hasn’t changed, and it will happen again if we don’t fix it. I’ve submitted a resolution to the board for June 1, so we can formally tell our state legislators what changes we want to see.”

She added, “Beyond that, our representatives need to hear directly from constituents. Many are campaigning for reelection right now. When they knock on your door, this is exactly the kind of conversation to have.”

Templeton’s proposed resolution, which will be up for discussion and a vote by the board next week, calls for three changes to the law:

• Restoring contextual consideration of the challenged material, so that review committees can consider historical significance, literary merit and educational value;
• Giving elected school boards final say over which materials are removed or retained;
• And allowing grade-based determinations about the age-appropriateness of materials for 5-year-olds versus teenagers.

Members of Haley’s family and some of the stars of the 1977 TV miniseries adaptation of Roots had spoken out against the book’s removal, as word of it spread through national media.

William “Bill” Haley Jr., one of Haley’s grandsons, noted that the rape scene that triggered the ban was actually portrayed in the miniseries, broadcast in prime time nearly 50 years ago.

“The ban apparently flagged Kizzy’s rape by her enslaver — a common male enslaver atrocity,” Haley said. “As Caroline Randall Williams reminded us around Confederate Monument debates, the evidence is in the diverse complexions, features, eye colors and hair textures among non-biracial African Americans. And the 1977 miniseries — watched by over a record-holding 130 million and assigned viewing by many schools since the book’s recommended for ages 13/14 and over — included the assault.”

Leslie Uggams, who played the role of Kizzy in the miniseries, said, “[They] think an enslaved girl’s rape by her enslaver is ‘inappropriate’ for students to read? No. That rape happens in the first place is what’s ‘inappropriate’.”

LeVar Burton, who portrayed Kunta Kinte in the miniseries, said, “The banning of Alex Haley’s Roots from school libraries in Knox County, Tennessee, made me laugh out loud. The conversation must’ve gone — ‘Just how disrespectful to his memory is it possible to be? How low are we willing to debase ourselves?’ Attempting to erase Alex Haley, one of America’s most lauded authors, is a textbook strategy used by those who concede to being bereft of all human decency.”

Retired U.S. Sen. and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, who also served as Education Secretary under President George W. Bush and was friends with Haley, said that while Roots has some violent scenes, the Middle Passage of African slaves to America was a violent event.

“We wanted our children to know the truth of our country’s history — all of it, not some of it, overcoming the bad as well as celebrating the good,” Alexander said. “We wanted them to learn about the Confederate generals as well as the Union soldiers, the lack of civil rights and then eventual winning of civil rights. We don’t believe in canceling part of our history. We wanted our children to understand that the American Republic has never been a perfect union, but that its greatness is that it has always struggled to reach noble goals.”

After Rysewyk’s announcement, state Rep. Sam McKenzie, whose district includes Haley Heritage Square in Morningside Park with its large statue of Haley, said he was glad for the book’s return. The East Knoxville Democrat noted that he had sponsored a “Freedom to Read” bill to make sure students have access to materials, which had not passed the Legislature.

In a statement, McKenzie said, “While many in this country and here in Tennessee are trying to erase history, I am encouraged by the decision of Knox County School Superintendent Dr. Jon Rysewyk, with the support of many in the Knox County community, to immediately return Roots to school shelves where it belongs and allow our students access to this essential work.”