The Utah school district board on Tuesday voted unanimously to make the Bible available in all school libraries for all grades, reversing an earlier board-based decision that limited the Bible to high schools only. .

The Davis School District lottery-selected committee for reviewing potentially sexual content removed Bibles from elementary and middle school libraries in early June, after initially keeping them in high schools. The school district board reversed that decision on June 20.

In December 2022, the school district received a request from an unidentified individual to review the King James Version of the Bible and determine whether it should be placed in the district’s library. (Related article: Utah school district reportedly removes Bibles from elementary and middle school libraries for ‘inappropriate’ content)

Thank you to the David Board of Education for unanimously revoking the recommendation to remove Bibles from elementary through middle school. #utpol

— Trevor Lee (@VoteTrevorLee) June 20, 2023

According to one law, school districts are required to have parents participate in review boards to determine whether a book contains “confidential information.” 2022 Utah Law.

Guidance from the Utah Attorney General’s Office and the Utah Board of Education need The purpose of the committee is to “determine whether a book contains material that violates the bright line rules.” state code.

“If the book does not violate the bright line rules, the committee will consider the age appropriateness of the book. It will be determined by considering whether it has literary, artistic, political or scientific value,” Davis School District spokeswoman Chris Williams told reporters. “Consideration of the value of books to minors depends on credible expert review, the committee’s own experience and background, and the committee’s assessment of community standards.”

After an initial review, the committee determined that the Bible did not contain anything that violated the “clearline rule.” It then considered age-appropriate content and decided it would be age-appropriate for high school libraries, but not for elementary or middle school, the statement said.

“Some of the community has suggested that early committee decisions and school district policies and processes were deliberately manipulated to undermine Utah’s Confidential Goods Act,” Williams said. said. “This is totally false.”

Williams said school districts act with the intention of complying with the law and keeping school libraries free of harmful materials.

The school district subsequently conducted an inspection of 60 books, 37 of which were removed from all school libraries for violating the line rule, the statement said. Some schools restricted 14 books for age-appropriate reasons, leaving nine books at all levels, according to a press release.

Williams said the committee-based process is “thoughtful, methodical, respectful of different points of view” and complies with state law.