Over the past several years, the Washington County School District has encountered controversy over the decision to remove books from its libraries, at least some of which allegedly contained sexual content deemed inappropriate for children.
As of last month, Utah had removed at least 36 books from public schools.
Steve Dunham, the Washington County School District’s communications director, provided St. George News with a list of books that have been removed from schools throughout the state, as well as a section from the district website that covers frequently asked questions on this topic.
“State law is what establishes the parameters for book removal,” Dunham said.
When asked how these decisions are currently made at the district level, Dunham said the district must follow policy 4211. He elaborated that there are “basically three ways material may be deselected or removed from a school library.”
The first is standard “weeding” practices, where books in poor physical condition are removed. The second is removal by choice of a committee reviewing sensitive instructional materials. The third is by handling possible “indecent public displays” through what the policy calls the “bright-line rule,” referring to legislation begun in HB 374 and expanded in HB 29, which oversees the handling of sensitive material in schools.
The legislation has caused controversy in the Washington County School District in recent years. Several years ago, some citizens reportedly demanded to know when the school district would be in compliance with it. Others in Utah expressed concern that the legislation allows a particular book to be banned statewide after just three school districts have each independently decided to remove it.
Dunham said there has not been much, if any, parental feedback on how the local district decides whether to remove books.
“I don’t think we have received any feedback, just the occasional book challenge from a parent,” Dunham said.
Joann Brinton, a member of the Utah State Board of Education whose district includes Washington County, said she thought it was important to clarify the terminology used when discussing this issue.
“These are not 'book bans,’” she told St. George News.
“Rather, this is the legal process of removing inappropriate adult materials from school libraries to ensure environments are safe for children,” she said. “We remain in ongoing communication with local education agencies across Utah, including Washington County. I applaud them for leading out aggressively to protect children.”
She added that the word ‘banning’ is “just used to shock and get people afraid,” noting that “anyone is free to go buy those books for their children and have them at their homes or check them out at public libraries.”
Speaking to the Salt Lake Tribune, author Stephen King agreed with Brinton’s sentiment after several more of his own books were recently removed from the shelves of Utah Public schools. King has been called the "most banned author in U.S. public schools."
“First and foremost, the book wasn’t banned,” King said. “I assume it’s still in bookstores and many public libraries, because free expression is part of the American ethic.”
Brinton said she strongly supports the removal of books containing explicit sexual content from school libraries.
“The decision to remove these materials is not arbitrary; it is mandated by Utah Code § 53G-10-103, which strictly prohibits sensitive materials in public schools,” she said. “Protecting children from early exposure to adult content is a primary obligation, and school districts are acting appropriately by upholding community standards and enforcing the law.”
Brinton said the removal of these books from the shelves of Utah public schools is “absolutely justified.”
“It is important to emphasize that under Utah Code § 53G-10-103, books are not just removed at whim,” she said. “A book must first be formally challenged and then undergo a meticulous review process set up by Utah law. When materials meet the legal threshold for objective or subjective 'sensitive material,' their removal is a necessary step to safeguard students.”
Brinton said this means that “if a book contains certain explicit or pornographic depictions, it is uniformly barred.”
“Furthermore, the law dictates that if a threshold of school districts removes a book under this objective standard, it triggers a mandatory statewide removal,” she said. “The uniform stance exists; our focus now is ensuring full, consistent compliance across all districts. Any parent of a child in a school district or employee can recommend a review of books.”
She said Utah law “explicitly dictates” that a public school must prioritize the protection of children from the harmful effects of illicit pornography and extremely violent or sexual content over all other considerations.
“Early exposure to this material has deeply detrimental effects on childhood development,” she said. “I encourage everyone to review the data regarding these impacts, which can be found in the state's official guidance.”