12/23/2024 United States (International Christian Concern) — A Texas school district has removed the Bible from its libraries’ shelves for the 2024-2025 school year, citing a Texas law restricting sexually explicit materials in public schools.
According to a Christian Post report, Dr. Darryl Flusche, superintendent of the Canyon Independent School District in the Texas panhandle, emailed parents and guardians about the decision.
In the email, Flusche defended the decision by pointing to a bill passed by the Texas legislature in its most recent session. He stated that in lieu of the Bible in its entirety, there are books in the libraries that contain portions of it. Flusche added that the district has “strong connections with local churches” and can obtain a donated Bible for a student upon request.
The legislation, known as House Bill (HB) 900, restricts certain graphic materials from being present in public school libraries.
Flusche quoted from the bill in defense of the district’s decision, but only partially.
In his statement, Flusche divulged a part of paragraph A of the bill. Specifically, he reproduced the following text from the bill: “Section 33.021 Library Standards. (a) In this section, ‘sexually explicit material’ means any communication, language, or material, including a written description, photographic image, video image, or audio file, excluding library material directly related to required curriculum, as referenced in Section 28.002 (a), that describes or portrays sexual conduct, as defined by Section 43.25 Penal Code … ”
The superintendent, however, stopped short of disclosing pertinent clarifying context in the rest of the paragraph.
The bill goes on to state that libraries are restricted from possessing “sexually explicit material … that describes or portrays sexual conduct, as defined by Section 43.25 Penal Code in a patently offensive way, as defined by Section 43.21 Penal Code.”
Texas Penal Code 43.21 defines “patently offensive” as being “so offensive on its face as to affront current community standards of decency.”
The district’s decision to remove the Bible from its libraries’ shelves gives the appearance of imprudence at best and an outright attack on Christianity at worst.
Regina Kiehne, a parent in the district, on Dec. 9, expressed her opinion about the decision at a school board meeting.
“It just makes sense to have the Word of God in our school library,” Kiehne stated. “After all, it is the book of wisdom. It is the best-selling book of all times [sic]. It’s historically accurate and scientifically sound … The Bible holds great value. [And] it should be valued in our Texas school system.”
International Christian Concern reached out to Superintendent Flusche for comment but hasn’t received a response as of the date of publication.
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