What's New
The Bible has been banned by the head of a Texas school district who said in an email to concerned parents that it contained "sexually explicit material."
Canyon Independent School District Superintendent Darryl Flusche said the move was in line with House Bill 900, a Republican backed law passed by the Texas Legislature in 2023. The law bans public school libraries from holding material that "describes or portrays sexual conduct" in a "patently offensive way" and is not a part of required curriculum.
Newsweek contacted the Canyon Independent School District (CISD) for comment via telephone on Friday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Over the past few years a number of Republican controlled states have implemented schoolbook bans in response to what they claimed was inappropriate material, which often related to race, gender identity or LGBTQ+ rights. In the 2022-23 academic year PEN America recorded 3,362 instances of books being banned, up 33 percent on the previous year.
At the same time, several GOP dominated states have made moves to integrate Christianity more explicitly into the education system. Louisiana passed legislation requiring public schools to display a copy of the Ten Commandments in every classroom, though this was blocked by a federal judge. Texas Lieutenant General Dan Patrick had called for a similar move in his state.
In November the Texas State Board of Education narrowly voted to allow elementary schools in the state to teach lessons containing Bible-infused teachings, a move Democratic state Representative James Talarico branded "unconstitutional, un-American, and deeply un-Christian."
What To Know
In a letter to parents, acquired by the Christian Post, Flusche said that due to its ban on "sexually explicit material" House Bill 900 "doesn't allow numerous books, including the full text of the Bible, to be available in the school library."
He noted there are "30 titles available in the Canyon Junior High School library that are Bible stories or portions of the Bible" and said that if any student would like to receive a Bible "we have strong connections with local churches" that would be happy to provide one.
Flusche added: "We hope our parents share their voice with the legislators concerning HB900."
The letter didn't state which sections of the Bible Flusche believes constitute "sexually explicit material," but sections deal with rape, incest and prostitution.
What People Are Saying
At a school board meeting on December 9, Kiehne, a mother who said she had two children in CISD schools, condemned the move saying it "seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books."
Kiehne continued: "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."
In an article on its official website the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which says it advocates for atheists and agnostics in the U.S, said the Bible contains "a pornographic view of sex and women, lewdness, depravity and sexual violence often ordered or countenanced by the biblical deity" adding the book "ought to be X-rated."
What Happens Next
The Canyon Independent School District is likely to come under pressure from both Christian parents and state level authorities to drop its Bible ban.
Ultimately the issue could be decided in the courts, which would have to discuss whether the Bible contains "sexually explicit material" and also consider the relationship between church and state.
English (US) ·