Parents challenged the Book of Mormon, the Quran in this Utah school district. Here’s what happened next The Salt Lake Tribune on March 13, 2024 at 12:52 pm

This story was originally reported by Courtney Tanner of The Salt Lake Tibune

In the ongoing debate over book bans in Utah schools, one district has concluded a controversial review over whether to keep major religious texts like the Bible, Book of Mormon and Quran on library shelves.

The controversy began last December when a parent in the Davis School District filed a complaint arguing the Bible should be removed because it contains vulgarity and violence, citing Utah’s strict new law restricting “indecent” books in schools.

The district initially agreed, determining the Bible was too vulgar for elementary and middle school libraries, though it would remain in high schools. But that decision was quickly reversed amid a fierce backlash from residents and state lawmakers who accused the district of misinterpreting the law and embarrassing the state.

However, the reversal on the Bible didn’t end the book challenges. Shortly after, separate complaints were filed targeting the Book of Mormon, the foundational scripture for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as the Quran, the holy book of Islam. The complainants argued those texts also contained inappropriate content like the Bible.

The reviews for the Book of Mormon and Quran took eight months to complete in the wake of the Bible controversy. Finally, in January, the district announced both books would be allowed to remain in all school libraries without elaborating on its reasoning, simply stating the texts do not violate state standards.

The removals have been extremely controversial under Utah’s new law, which requires any book considered “pornographic” be pulled immediately with no exceptions. For other books, committees must weigh whether the overall literary value outweighs any inappropriate content.

Hundreds of titles have already been removed from libraries across the state, with LGBTQ-related books facing a disproportionate number of challenges and bans.

The legislature recently updated the law to make it even easier for books to be banned statewide based on parental complaints. However, advocates are urging Republican Governor Spencer Cox to veto those changes when he receives them.

As the battle over appropriate school library materials rages on in Utah and nationwide, the religious texts have become a new flashpoint in the heated debate.

District Administration Read More

​

After uproar over its initial decision to ban the Bible — which was later reversed — a Utah school district has been trying to better separate the wheat from the chaff in determining which religious books can stay on library shelves.

And it has decided all of them are good books.

Earlier this year, Davis School District concluded its long pending reviews of both the Book of Mormon, which is the foundational scripture for the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Quran, the holy book for Islam. They will remain in schools for any student to check out, a spokesperson for the district confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Read more from The Salt Lake Tribune.

The post Parents challenged the Book of Mormon, the Quran in this Utah school district. Here’s what happened next appeared first on District Administration.

​