A school district in the US state of Utah removed Bible from elementary and middle schools saying that it contained "vulgarity and violence". The decision was taken after a complaint from a parent that the King James Bible has material unsuitable for children. In 2022, Utah had also passed a law banning "pornographic or indecent" books from schools. Most of the books that were banned after that were related to topics like sexual orientation and identity.
Why was the decision taken?
Utah's decision was made by the Davis School District north of Salt Lake City after the 2022 complaint. Officials said, as per BBC, that they have already removed seven or eight copies of the Bible that they had on their shelves. The committee did not elaborate on its decision or which passages contained "vulgarity or violence".
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The parent had said in their complaint that the King James Bible "has 'no serious values for minors' because it's pornographic by our new definition".
Is US increasingly banning books?
US conservatives are pushing to ban teaching in school on controversial topics such as LGBT rights and racial identity. Bans are also in place in Texas, Florida, Missouri and South Carolina. A lawmaker Ken Ivory said, “Traditionally, in America, the Bible is best taught, and best understood, in the home, and around the hearth, as a family.” The district is not the first in the US to remove Bible from its shelves. Another Texas school district last year pulled the Bible from library shelves after complaints from members of the public. Last month, students in Kansas requested to have the Bible removed from their school library as well, it was reported.