(UnitedVoice.com) – In March 2022, Utah Governor Spencer Cox (R) signed HB 374 into law. It prohibits sensitive instructional materials in schools. The law also allows parents to determine what they believe is sensitive material and petition to have certain books removed. That’s what one parent did, and now a school district has banned the Bible.
In December, a parent filed a petition to have the religious text removed. The unnamed person also attached eight pages of passages to prove that they violated the law under the new guidelines. The complainant thanked the “Utah Legislature and Utah Parents United for making this bad faith process” so easy and efficient. They went on to say that parents could now “ban books and don’t even need to read them or be accurate about it.”
The person who filed the complaint said the Bible was particularly disturbing because it contains indecent material and violence. Under the new law, it’s considered sexually explicit by definition and has “no serious values for minors.”
Ultimately, the Davis School District decided to remove the Bible from all elementary and middle school libraries. High schoolers still have access to the book. Though, someone has already filed an appeal to have the Bible sent back to libraries in all schools.
Christopher Williams, a spokesperson for the district, told The New York Times the request was treated “just like any other request.” Someone else has petitioned to have the Book of Mormon removed from shelves as well.
Utah Parents United Curriculum Director Brooke Stephens said the complaints against the Bible and Book of Mormon were attempts to try “to minimize the real concerns of parents.” She went on to say that even more books might have to be taken off of shelves if people are using the Bible as a baseline.
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