The King James Version of the Bible has been prohibited from several classrooms in the Davis School District, Utah’s second biggest school district, due to its “vulgarity and violence.”
The Bible will no longer be taught in any district schools except the high school.
Even though the Bible “does not contain sensitive material as defined by Utah Code,” the committee decided to remove it from select schools for reasons of “age appropriateness,” according to a committee representative.
In March, Utah Parents United omitted one of the most sex-ridden books, the Bible, from a petition, as reported by Fox 13 News. According to our revised definition, the Bible clearly has “no serious values for minors.”
The Davis School District has removed the Holy Bible from several school libraries "due to vulgarity or violence." https://t.co/itHPTDnPTP
— FOX 13 News Utah (@fox13) June 1, 2023
WATCH:
The King James version of the Bible has been removed from all elementary and middle school libraries throughout Utah's Davis School District following a review of books for sexual content.
— The Recount (@therecount) June 2, 2023
An appeal was filed this week, and another review will take place. pic.twitter.com/hSRDrxuOQd
Fox 13 News reports:
A 2022 law passed by the Utah State Legislator banned sensitive material in schools. Since it’s passage, dozens of books have been banned across several state school districts.
“When many groups characterize this as banning books, that really is an attempt to simply, you know, hyperbolize what’s going on, we’re simply, clarifying age-appropriate limits,” said Rep. Ivory.
Since its passage, dozens of books have been banned across several state school districts.
With the law now in place, if a parent makes a formal request, schools have to remove any books that contain:
Human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal
Acts of human masturbation or sexual intercourse
fondling or other erotic touching of human genitals or pubic regionTo handle that appeal, the district will now form a committee consisting of three members of Davis School District’s Board of Education. They will review the original complaint and the appeal and make a recommendation to the full board to vote on.
The board will make the final decision in an upcoming public meeting. A date for that has not yet been set.
If the board decides the Bible is appropriate for all students, it will be returned to the shelves, Williams said.
Currently, Davis School District has other religious texts — including the Book of Mormon, Torah and Quran — available to check out without age restrictions. Those have not been challenged.
