Bible Back in Texas Schools After Being Pulled for Sexual Content
Is the Bible too “sexually explicit” for minors? The Canyon Independent School District in Texas was apparently concerned that it might be. The district pulled the Bible from school library shelves earlier this month as part of a review of potentially “sexually explicit material.”
According to Superintendent Darryl Flusche, the district was worried about running afoul of a new Texas law known as the Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources (READER) Act, or House Bill 900.
“House Bill 900, which passed during the last legislative session, establishes library standards that restrict content in school libraries,” Flusche wrote in a leaked email to parents, citing the section of the law defining sexually explicit material (that which “describes, depicts, or portrays sexual conduct”). “This standard for library content prohibits books that have one instance of sexual content” that meets the definition.
As a result, “numerous books, including the full text of the Bible,” were verboten in school libraries, Flusche continued, pointing out that portions of the Bible were still available to students. “We are more than willing to assist a student who would like access to a Bible by arranging this from one of our partnering churches,” he added. Flusche also asked parents to “share their voice with the legislators concerning HB900.”
Did Flusche really feel that stocking the Bible violated Texas law? Or is he simply trying to make a point about the broadness and potential unintended consequences of the READER Act?
Either way, he has the wrong idea, according to the Texas state Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Denton), who sponsored the bill.
“Let me be very clear: the Bible, and other religious texts, are protected under HB 900…. Any assertion to the contrary is either rooted in ignorance of state law or an open hostility
Article from Reason.com
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