Texas school district removes the Bible from libraries citing state law banning sexually explicit material

A Texas school district removed the Bible from its libraries, citing a state law banning “sexually explicit” material in public school libraries. Canyon Independent School District (ISD) said the abolition of the Bible was due to the GOP-backed, Texas House Bill 900.

HB 900, also called the READER Act, is aimed at eliminating pornography from school libraries and requires students to get parental consent to check out books with "sexually relevant" content, according to the Daily Mail.

According to an email obtained by the outlet, Canyon ISD Superintendent Dr. Darryl Flusche told parents that the “full text of the Bible” was being removed from school libraries because of references to sexual activity in some passages. It added that copies of “Bible stories” would remain in the libraries. Flusche encouraged students to ask local churches for a copy of the Bible if they wished to read it.

The decision sent parents through the roof at a school board meeting where they called the ban “absurd” and said the “Bible holds great value” and “should be valued in our Texas school system.” Later, after “receiving clarification” from a state representative, the school district replaced the Bible on its shelves, the outlet reported.

HB 900 defines “sexually explicit material” as “any communication, language, or material, including a written description, illustration, photographic image, video image, or audio file, other than library material directly related to the curriculum required under Section 28.002(a), that describes, depicts, or portrays sexual conduct, as defined by Section 43.25, Penal Code.”

“In a day when we are needing security guards and bulletproof windows and doors, I think having the Word of God available to our children cannot only be preventative to violence, but also provide comfort and a sense of security in a chaotic world,” said Regina Kiehne, a mother of two children who go to school in the district.

"It just makes sense to have the Word of God in our school library. After all, it is the book of wisdom. It is the bestselling book of all time; it is historically accurate, scientifically sound, and most importantly, life-changing,” she added.

Bible sales in the US have increased by 22 percent through the end of October compared to sales in 2023 during the same time frame. Overall sales of printed books only went up by 1 percent during the same period.