In recent years, a nonprofit called Bibles in Schools has been working quietly but persistently to place Christian scriptures into public school libraries across the United States. Founded in 2018 by former teacher Hannah Sailsbury, the group began with a seemingly simple moment: a student discovered a tattered Bible in a school library, and Sailsbury felt inspired to provide something newer and more visually engaging. From that impulse, an organization was born whose stated mission is to ensure that “engaging Bibles” are available in every public school library in the nation.

Since then, Bibles in Schools has expanded its reach dramatically. The organization claims to have distributed more than 20,000 Bibles and Christian storybooks to over 4,000 public school libraries and juvenile detention facilities in all 50 states. Its financial records show a growing base of support, with more than $210,000 in revenue reported in 2023 and a comfortable budget surplus after program expenses. The group is also accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, signaling its embeddedness in national evangelical networks.

On the surface, placing donated books in a library might seem benign—after all, school libraries hold a wide range of materials. But the mission of Bibles in Schools is not simply to expand student choice. Its vision statements make clear that the goal is explicitly evangelical: to encourage students and families to develop a “personal relationship with Jesus” and to equip local communities with the confidence to assert “their rights in the public schools” as Christians. This is not neutrality; it is a targeted campaign to inject a particular religious message into public education.

What makes this even more concerning is the web of affiliations Bibles in Schools promotes on its website. It encourages supporters to connect with national prayer networks like Intercessors for America and Lock the Shields, both dedicated to saturating public schools with organized prayer. It points families and educators toward resources like Brave Books, Christian Educators, Gateways to Better Education, and PragerU—all of which work in different ways to fuse conservative politics with religion in the classroom. And it highlights programs such as Bible2School, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, First Priority, and LifeWise Academy—each one designed to bring children into direct contact with Bible study or evangelical outreach during their public school years.

From a constitutional perspective, this raises real concerns. Public schools are bound by the Establishment Clause to avoid endorsing or promoting religion. Accepting large-scale donations from an evangelical nonprofit whose stated purpose is conversion blurs that boundary. It also creates imbalance: while evangelical groups organize national networks to seed their texts and programs into schools, there is no comparable infrastructure providing equal access for secular, humanist, or minority faith perspectives. The result is a one-sided religious influence that risks marginalizing students who do not share those beliefs.

There are also practical consequences inside classrooms. The presence of prominently displayed, “child-friendly” Bibles can add subtle but powerful social pressure. In communities where evangelical Christianity already dominates, students may feel nudged toward conformity, even when their families practice a different faith—or none at all. Beyond the books themselves, the act of donation is part of a broader strategy: mobilizing church networks, building political visibility, and normalizing religious influence in civic institutions that are supposed to serve everyone equally.

The Secular Education Association believes strongly that public schools exist to educate, not to evangelize. Families and students have every right to access scripture through their homes, churches, or community groups. But when outside organizations deliberately insert proselytizing materials into public school libraries, the line between personal faith and public education begins to erode.

Parents, educators, and community members who care about religious neutrality in schools should pay close attention to efforts like Bibles in Schools. Review your local library policies. Ask how donations are vetted. Speak up for balance and inclusivity. And remind your district that neutrality is not anti-religion—it is the foundation of fairness in a diverse democracy.

SEA will continue monitoring groups like Bibles in Schools and sounding the alarm when evangelical activism crosses into the public school system. Neutrality in education protects every family, regardless of their beliefs. And it is worth defending.