A Southern California school district is weighing whether to pull the Bible from its shelves.
A complaint has been filed against the King James Version in the Redlands Unified School District, alleging it contains “inappropriate material for students.”
Exactly which passages are being challenged remains unclear, according to Mercury News.
The King James Bible, first commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611 under King James VI, is now under review due to a revised district policy adopted in August.
The rule requires challenged books to be pulled from shelves and reviewed within 45 days by a committee that grades them for sexual and violent content and overall age appropriateness.
In this case, the committee isn’t recommending removal.
Three report cards dated Feb. 24 gave the Bible between 4 and 7 points on a 25-point scale, placing it in the lowest category and recommending that it be kept on shelves.
But the final call belongs to the board.
“Following deliberation, the board shall vote to designate the appropriate grade-level access,” a report to the school board states.
“If the material is deemed unsuitable for any level, it will be permanently removed from the corresponding schools and District facilities within five (5) business days of the board’s decision.”
The challenge comes months after the district made other controversial library decisions.
In December, board members voted to remove “Push” by Sapphire entirely, while “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison is now restricted to students over 18 with parental consent.
The policy guiding the review has drawn criticism.
Critics say the policy mirrors one adopted by Chino Valley Unified in 2024 and may violate Assembly Bill 1078—a 2023 law that bars book bans in school and public libraries and prohibits censorship of instructional materials.
The school district will decide the book’s fate Tuesday night during a public hearing.
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