Book of Mormon challenged in a Utah school district

FARMINGTON, Utah (KSL.com) — A week after the Davis School District removed the Bible from all elementary and junior high libraries, the Book of Mormon on Friday was challenged.

“The district received a request today to review the Book of Mormon,” Christopher Williams, Davis School District’s director of communication, confirmed to KSL.com.

He added that he hasn’t seen the request and doesn’t know the grounds on which the request was made.

Last week, a committee tasked with reviewing books that fall under review for sexual content determined that the Bible will be retained at district high schools but removed from all elementary and middle schools.

The challenge was originally filed with the district on Dec. 11, 2022.

While the committee didn’t find the Bible to be in direct violation of Utah Code § 76-10-1227,§ 76-10-1201 or § 76-10-1203 — code that defines sensitive materials — it deemed it inappropriate for elementary and junior high students due to “vulgarity or violence,” Williams said.

In lieu of the initial ruling — which came last week — a new appeal to the ruling was filed Wednesday, asking for the district to retain the Bible in all district schools, meaning the religious book will again be reviewed by a committee.

Williams added that there haven’t been any other requests made regarding other religious texts.

“The district will treat this request just like any other request, and will follow the policy as outlined in the 4I-202 School Library Media Centers policy,” Williams said.

He added that specifically, the committee will assess “all elements of the definitions of pornographic or indecent materials as defined in Utah Code Ann. §53G-10-103” along with “whether the material is age appropriate due to vulgarity or violence” when deciding whether or not the Book of Mormon constitutes sensitive material.