A Utah school district that ripped the King James version of the Bible from its elementary and middle schools shelves reversed course on Tuesday and reinstated the Good Book.
The school district voted unanimously to correct the decision after a fierce backlash both locally and nationally.
Critics, many from the LGBT community and angry about explicit books no longer being available to children, argued that the Bible contained “vulgarity or violence.” Utah law allows for materials objectionable to parents to be banned from school libraries.
The Davis School District reviewed 60 books for inappropriate material, removing 37 from all school levels and partially restricting another 14. This did not sit well with liberal community members, and they chose to go after the Bible.
Earlier this month, the review committee of staff and parents removed it from elementary and middle schools.
Appeal requests poured into the district, according to a spokesperson, resulting in the board suddenly finding new value in the Bible. It declared that the value for minors outweighs what some find objectionable in the Scriptures.
Utah school district returns Bible to schools after backlash https://t.co/45eqQaBt2I #OAN
— One America News (@OANN) June 21, 2023
School board President Liz Mumford said, “there will be some who will disagree with the vote tonight, as there are some who disagreed with the committee.” She added, however, that “it’s a process that played out fairly.”
The offended parent filed a challenge in December, saying they were frustrated with other books that were no longer on school shelves. The controversy boiled over in March when the challenge to the Bible’s presence in schools was revealed.
The parent insisted that if the LGBT titles were removed, then the Bible should also lose its place for elementary and middle school children.
As part of the process, the complaint was assigned to the review committee for study. Utah has a “bright line” rule, meaning that if the material is deemed “pornographic or indecent” it may be immediately removed from school libraries.
The Bible, in the committee’s judgment, did not meet this criterion.
It was decided, however, that the holy book was not suitable for younger pupils and it was removed. This led to an avalanche of 70 appeals by parents and community members pushing for its reinstatement, which thankfully has been accomplished.
The obvious question remains — if the Holy Bible can be banned in Utah, is there anywhere in the country where it is truly safe?
