Bibles are back on library shelves in Canyon Independent School District after parents publicly challenged administrators’ decision to remove the Good Book and demanded it be returned.
Superintendent Darryl Flusche had told concerned parents that a Texas law passed last year to protect students from sexually explicit content required the district to take the Bible out of school libraries.
On Thursday, Canyon ISD issued a statement saying the district had “reevaluated” its decision.
The law, known as House Bill 900, imposed new school library standards prohibiting books that are harmful, educationally unsuitable, or portray sexual content in a way that is “patently offensive” to the community.
Parents pushed back against Flusche’s claim that HB 900 outlawed the Bible.
“It seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books,” Canyon ISD mom Regina Kiehne said during a December 9 school board meeting. “Let’s get our Bibles back on the library bookshelves.”
“HB 900 was never intended to remove the Bible from Texas public schools,” local mom and conservative activist Jamie Haynes told Texas Scorecard after Kiehne confronted school officials. “The Holy Bible, upon which this nation was founded, needs to be immediately returned to Canyon ISD libraries.”
Parents then contacted the office of State Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco), who wrote HB 900.
Patterson agreed with the parents.
“Let me be very clear: the Bible, and other religious texts, are protected under HB 900. Moreover, the Bible does not contain sexually explicit content as defined by HB 900. Any assertion to the contrary is either rooted in ignorance of state law or an open hostility to the will of the people,” Patterson wrote in a December 18 letter to Flusche.
He also called out the district’s lack of transparency, noting that Flusche did not publicly post that the Bible was being banned from Canyon ISD.
Patterson’s letter concluded by urging Flusche to follow the law and “put the Bible back on the shelves.”
State Sen. Kevin Sparks (R–Midland), whose district includes Canyon ISD, also responded to parents’ concerns.
In a December 19 social media post, Sparks said Canyon ISD’s decision to remove the Bible from schools was “misguided” and violated state law, which explicitly protects religious literature.
“The Bible is not educationally unsuitable, sexually explicit, or pervasively vulgar, making its removal legally and morally indefensible,” wrote Sparks. “At a time when students seek guidance, the Bible provides a vital moral framework.”
Because parents spoke up, Canyon ISD officials put the Bibles back.
The district’s statement addressing the controversy read in part:
Following the passage of House Bill 900, Canyon ISD conducted a comprehensive review of library materials to ensure compliance with updated state guidelines.
After receiving clarification from Representative Patterson regarding library content, we reevaluated the guidelines and are pleased to have the Bible available in each of our Canyon ISD libraries.
Haynes responded Friday to Canyon ISD’s announcement.
“I want to thank the students who first reported this to their parents, the parents who spoke up at board meetings, sent emails and asked many questions,” said Haynes. “Additionally, thank you to Senator Kevin Sparks for making a statement and other elected officials who made phone calls to the district. Finally, thank you to Representative Jared Patterson’s office staff for confirming, in one email, what we already knew, that HB 900 did not legislate Bibles be removed from Texas ISDs.”
All Texas school districts are required to comply with HB 900 and remove any materials prohibited by the mandatory library standards.
