Davis School Board reverses Bible ban decision
The Davis School District Board of Education has reversed an earlier decision to remove the Bible from elementary and junior high schools. The months-long debate began in December when an anonymous resident asked for the book to be reviewed, claiming it was inappropriate.
Following a state law put in place last year, a committee then judged if the book was age-appropriate for different school levels, a process that considers both vulgarity and violence as well as the book’s literary merit.
The initial decision was that the Bible was not appropriate for elementary or junior high but fine to remain in high schools. Within days of the announcement, the board got an appeal request and put a new committee together to reassess.
The appeal committee decided there was significant enough value for minors to outweigh the violent and vulgar content, and thus it was appropriate to have in elementary and junior high schools. The Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to uphold that decision.
To date, Davis School District has conducted 60 reviews for books. 37 were fully removed from school libraries, 14 were partly restricted, and 9 were retained at all levels.
Wildlife rehabilitation center finds possible new home
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah (WRCNU) may have found their next temporary home. The move comes after the center was informed by Ogden Citya few months ago their current lease would not be renewed so the city could expand the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park. They were given 180 days to move.
After weeks of searching, WRCNU has hopefully found another property in Ogden. It’s half the size and would only be available for five years, but executive director DaLyn Marthaler said this was what they could afford with no fundraising time.
They still need to be approved to move in by the city planner, and even then, there’s a long road ahead. The facility has to be prepped and another off-site property must be found to house the animals, as this property has a lot of pollution and noise.
WRCNU, which had been at its previous location for 13 years, is the only of its kind in northern Utah, with the next closest facility being in Utah County.
