“Let me be very clear: the Bible and other religious texts are protected under 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,” he wrote.
Canyon Independent School District sparked outrage earlier this month after revealing it would pull the religious text to comply with a state law banning books with “sexually explicit” materials.
But Texas state Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Denton), who sponsored the newly enacted House Bill 900, was quick to rip the district’s decision — noting that his legislation specifically protected religious texts, including the Bible.
“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,” the statement said.
A Texas school district that removed the Bible over a new law banning “sexually explicit” material has backtracked — after being told it was both wrong and “likely illegal” to strip it from library shelves.