SALT LAKE CITY — The best-selling book of all time might be pulled from the Davis School District shelves soon.
FOX 13 News's content sharing partners at the Salt Lake Tribune obtained a parent’s petition, who wrote, "Utah Parents United left off one of the most sex-ridden books around: The Bible. You’ll no doubt find that the Bible has ‘no serious values for minors’ because it’s pornographic by our new definition."
Nichole Mason, President of Utah Parents United, worked with legislators to pass the 2022 law banning sensitive materials in schools.
“This has nothing to do with religious merit or other people's ideas or what religion they follow or not follow," she said. "This has to do with explicit sexual content.”
Since the law's passing, dozens of books have been banned in Utah school districts.
“This isn't just about, 'I like these ideas,' or, 'I don't like these ideas,'" said Mason. "The law was written very specifically so that there wouldn't be frivolous challenges.”
The Davis County School District has given the bible to a committee to review. Members of that committee have to read the Bible in its entirety, said Michele Edgley, President of the Utah Educational Library Media Association.
“The committee is going to be reading for a long time to read the Bible," she said. "They've got to read it cover to cover.”
By law now, if a parent requests, schools have to remove any books that contain:
- Human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal
- Acts of human masturbation or sexual intercourse
- fondling or other erotic touching of human genitals or pubic region
“I don't think that most parents have either the right or the knowledge of the student bodies to be banning books for the entire school," said Edgley.
If the book is removed in Davis County, it could be banned in schools across the state, she said.
