A Utah school district that removed the King James version of the Bible from multiple elementary and middle schools has unanimously voted to reinstate it.
The removal was made after it was reported for containing “vulgarity or violence,” and a petition was signed responding to state law that resulted in the review of 60 books and the removal of 37.
Days after removing the Bibles, the Davis School District reportedly received various appeal requests. The district ultimately felt that the Bible provides significant value for children, outweighing any content some have complained about.
School board President Liz Mumford, who voted to reinstate the Bible, said she believes it “has serious literary, artistic, historical, and political value for minors.”
“Based on their assessment of community standards, the appeal committee determined that The Bible has significant, serious value for minors which outweighs the violent or vulgar content it contains,” the school board wrote.
Utah school district puts Bible back on bookshelves after pushback: 'Significant, serious value' https://t.co/j2iFPD79UE
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 22, 2023
Many of the books in the district’s libraries were inappropriate for minors. In October 2022, state Rep. Ken Ivory (R) presented a slideshow to lawmakers providing examples of inappropriate materials.
One book available to junior high school students showed two females being intimate with one another, while another book for high school students was about being “genderqueer.”
Ivory’s presentation included evidence that one high school library in the district hosted a “Banned Books Week” with signs reading, “Find out why these books have been banned in other places (but not in Davis County)!” One of the books was about the intimate relationship between a 10-year-old boy and an adult.
“I recognize that our policy could use some refinements and improvements,” Mumford said.
Since March 2023, the law that led to the Bible’s review was used 81 times by Davis County, which ultimately removed 33 books for containing “vulgar” material.
