Davis School District

According to a KUER analysis of public records, 25 books are teetering on the edge of being banned statewide.

The Utah Direct program will guarantee students from the Canyons, Granite, Davis and Provo school districts a spot at the state’s flagship school as long as they have a 3.5 or higher GPA and finish certain classes.

The list includes books by Judy Blume, Margaret Atwood and several by Sarah J. Maas.

Viewmont High School teacher Carly Maloney was selected by a committee of representatives from parent and teacher advocacy organizations, charter schools, the Utah State Board of Education and the 2023 teacher of the year.

“It is a perennial educational challenge to create school environments that value diversity, equity and inclusion. However, the degree of systemic racial harassment and discrimination described by students is extraordinary,” said one of the consultants who worked on the report.

The biggest change is the addition of a “specialized review” committee that will focus solely on judging if portions of challenged books meet the state’s “sensitive materials” standard.

The settlement resolves the family's lawsuit against the district. They blamed the 2021 death of Isabella Tichenor on an inadequate school response to their reports that Izzy was being bullied over her race and disabilities.

As Utah lawmakers debate which books should and should not be in school libraries, the focus is often on removals. Librarians, however, say a lot of thought goes into choosing titles in the first place.

The Davis School District said in a statement on Tuesday that its board had determined the sacred text was age-appropriate for all school libraries.

Utah lawmakers continue to criticize the Davis School District for banning the Bible in some schools, and vocal support is growing for revising Utah’s “sensitive materials” law.

Rep. Ken Ivory said he wants school districts to vote in a public meeting before any books are banned.

Cox is drawing special emphasis on both a boost in teacher pay and statewide tax relief before the release of his full budget.