The Canyon Independent School District (ISD) briefly removed, then reinstated, the Bible from its libraries in an effort to comply with Texas’s controversial House Bill 900 (HB900), also known as the Reader Act. This law, effective September 2023, requires library vendors to rate materials for explicit content, inform parents of potentially explicit books, and recall materials deemed inappropriate. The law aims to shield students from obscene content but has faced legal challenges and criticism for potentially infringing on constitutional freedoms.
Citing HB900, Canyon ISD, serving 11,000 students across 21 schools, temporarily banned the Bible. A leaked email from Superintendent Darryl Flusche indicated that the law prevented numerous books, including the Bible, from being available in school libraries. Flusche suggested students obtain Bibles from churches and urged parents to contact legislators regarding HB900.
This decision sparked immediate backlash. At a December 9th school board meeting, parent Regina Kiehne criticized the removal, deeming it absurd. State Senator Kevin Sparks also condemned the ban on December 19th, calling it “misguided” and “legally and morally indefensible.”
The district reversed its decision on December 19th, announcing the Bible’s reinstatement after receiving clarification from Representative Patterson and reevaluating the guidelines. Their statement attributed the initial removal to a comprehensive review for compliance with HB900.
This incident highlights the broader conservative push for increased parental control over school curricula, a trend often met with legal challenges. While Texas adopted library standards incorporating HB900 in December, a portion of the law requiring vendor ratings has been blocked by the Fifth Circuit Court. However, much of the law remains in effect and is currently being challenged in federal court.
A lawsuit filed by bookshops, publishers, and author organizations against Texas school and library officials argues that HB900’s “overbroad language” could lead to the banning of numerous classic works of literature, including the Bible itself. The complaint contends that the law evokes a time of government censorship and control over information dissemination.