Redlands school board keeps Bible in libraries after heated hearing

REDLANDS, Calif. — A marathon public hearing packed with emotional testimony, religious appeals and sharp policy criticism culminated in a unanimous school board vote to keep the King James Version of the Bible in Redlands Unified libraries.

Why it matters: While the outcome was decisive, the debate revealed competing beliefs about free speech and the role of religion in public schools. Many speakers used the Bible challenge to spotlight what they see as flaws or inconsistencies in the district’s broader book review policy.

Details: During the Tuesday, April 14 Board of Education meeting, 26 public speakers participated in the hearing to address whether the Bible should remain in school libraries and at what grade levels. 

Comments spanned a wide spectrum, ranging from librarians defending intellectual freedom, to pastors and parents emphasizing the Bible’s moral and cultural importance, to critics arguing the challenge exposed contradictions in how the district evaluates books.

After the hearing and board deliberation, members voted 5–0 to keep the Bible, allowing librarians discretion over where it is placed across grade levels.

What they’re saying: Educators and librarians warned against removing books based on selective passages.

Citrus Valley High School librarian Gina Porter said, “Removing any books from circulation denies students their First Amendment rights, as well as their ability to expand their worldview.”

Moore Middle School Librarian Jenann Elias echoed that concern: “When we begin removing literature based on disliking isolated passages, we establish a dangerous precedent.”

Others stressed that school librarians should guide decisions. 

“I believe that the dedicated professionals who run our libraries should be the ultimate arbiters of what we can and can’t read,” said Jeff Poggi. “It’s ridiculous that we’re doing this now. Sooner the board gets rid of this policy the better.”

Many speakers defended the Bible as distinct from previously challenged books, emphasizing its moral framing and influence.

“The Bible does not blur moral lines. It draws them,” said another speaker, arguing it confronts wrongdoing rather than normalizing it.

Pastor Kevin O’Connor pointed to difficult passages as instructive: “The Bible teaches those kind of behaviors are dangerous and detrimental to society.”

Several highlighted its cultural and literary significance. Beth Smith, a Redlands resident and former private school librarian, even cited critics of religion, noting atheist writer Christopher Hitchens praised the King James Bible for “the dignity of its prose [and] the beauty of its expression,” calling it one of the greatest works in the English language.

Others framed it as foundational: “You cannot read Shakespeare or understand Shakespeare without knowing biblical references. You cannot read Dante without understanding biblical references,” Douglas Hauser said.

Potential policy flaws: A major theme across the hearing—even among those who support keeping the Bible—was criticism of the district’s book challenge policy.

“We warned you that this exact thing would happen,” Bea Hamilton said, arguing the policy allows “any person… to flag any book” and puts the board in a contradictory position.

“The point of the challenge is not actually to remove the Bible from the public schools…but just to show that the challenge policy passed by this board is flawed and impractical and basically kind of silly,” Tim Ormsby said. “The new system implemented by the school board wastes the time of top-level administrators, school board members and community members.”

Several speakers questioned whether the board is applying its standards evenly.

“The one good thing about this challenge is that it lays bare your hypocrisy,” Michael Paisner said. “Promoting your own perspective while banning stories that represent other communities, that is hypocrisy.

Some speakers framed the debate in wider cultural terms, warning against removing foundational texts.

“This is fundamentally wrong,” Ray Culberson said. “Once you go down one rabbit hole in banning books… you would have to ban almost every single book.”

A student, Presley, a sophomore at Redlands East Valley High School, offered a personal perspective, describing how reading the Bible helped her cope with family loss.

“Kids are so hungry to get to know God … I urge you to keep the Bible in our school libraries,” she said.

Moving forward: The Bible will stay on school library shelves, however the conversation about book removals is far from over. 

Despite the unanimous vote, the hearing made clear that the recent removal policies remain contentious and will likely continue to be a central debate at future board meetings.

The debate comes as the district faces a $20 million structural deficit, along with challenges related to aging infrastructure, enrollment and attendance.