Southern California school district decides to keep King James Version after Bible ban vote

The Redlands Unified School District voted on Tuesday to keep the King James Version of the Bible in school libraries during a school board meeting.

The complaint, which put the Bible ban in the spotlight at Tuesday's meeting, was made after RUSD officials passed a controversial policy that allows the removal of books deemed inappropriate for students. The rule calls for challenged books to be temporarily removed from library shelves and reviewed by a committee that grades them for their content and its appropriateness for school-age children. After the review, the final decision is left with the RUSD board members. 

Of the nearly two dozen people who spoke during the meeting, none agreed that it should be banned, but people noted the clear divide in beliefs. 

"This is no accident," said one speaker. "Promoting your own perspective, while banning stories that represent other communities, that is hypocrisy."

"To ban the Bible takes intellectual dishonesty," said another.

Pat Molnar, a teacher at Redlands High School for three decades, is one of many critics of the district's new policy and whether it is being implemented fairly. 

"I don't want the Bible banned, but I sure don't want classic books like 'Handmaid's Tale' to be banned either," Molnar said. "I just want them to consistently apply rules and not take away works of great literature."

So far under the new policy, RUSD has opted to ban "Push" by Sapphire, and "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison has been restricted to students over 18 with parental consent. 

Ultimately, after some deliberation, officials decided to keep the King James Version at their high schools. 

The King James Version was first commissioned in 1604 and then published and sponsored by King James six years later.