Wylie student says school library has Quran but no Bible

A 16-year-old Wylie East High School student turned a local library dispute into a national flashpoint when he told Congress that his school library had a Quran but no Bible. The claim, delivered during public testimony tied to a hearing on Sharia and the Constitution, has fed a fast-moving debate in Wylie about who decides what belongs on a school shelf and whether religious materials are being treated evenly.

Marco Hunter-Lopez was listed as a witness for the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution and Limited Government when it met May 13 at 2141 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The hearing, titled “Sharia-Free America: Why Political Islam & Sharia Law are Incompatible with the U.S. Constitution: Part II,” was part of a broader Republican-led push to scrutinize religion and public education. Hunter-Lopez, who founded the Wylie ISD Republican Student Club last year, tied his remarks to his experiences at Wylie East.

The Wylie controversy dates back to February, when an outside group called Why Islam set up a table at Wylie East during a World Hijab Day event and distributed Qurans, pamphlets on “Understanding Shariah,” and hijabs without district approval. Wylie ISD later said it took “full responsibility” for the incident and that proper protocols had not been followed. The district said it was reviewing procedures and staff oversight and later told parents it does not allow the distribution of religious materials to students, regardless of the group or message. Wylie ISD also placed a staff member on leave after the incident.

The dispute escalated after a video circulated online and sparked argument at a board meeting, turning a campus issue into a test of district governance. Wylie ISD serves nearly 20,000 students across 21 campuses, and Texas rules give local boards a central role in deciding what goes into school libraries. Texas public-school library standards require each district board or governing body to approve a collection-development policy for library materials, and Senate Bill 13 added new requirements for school library materials and catalogs for the 2025-2026 school year.

That broader policy fight is unfolding at the same time the Texas State Board of Education is debating a Bible-inclusive reading list for K-12 students. The board gave that list preliminary approval in a 9-5 vote in April, with a final vote expected in June. In Collin County, where fights over religion, public schools and public space have already flared around issues from school events to the proposed EPIC City development, the Wylie case has become another example of how neutrality, access and representation can collide in the same classroom library.