State board starts $60,000 review of how Utah school libraries choose books

KUTV reported that the Utah State Board of Education has started a $60,000 review of how school library books are chosen, stemming from questions about the influence of outside organizations and vendors. The review follows seven new titles meeting the threshold for removal last month, joining 37 other titles on the statewide removal list. None of the seven were available in elementary schools. ^[1]

Davina Sauthoff, the board's library media specialist, said the review will look at vendor relationships through several phases, including finances, the supply chain, regulatory steps and parent complaint logs. Board member Emily Green said at a May meeting she hopes it will help align practices with the state's sensitive materials law, which requires removal when at least three school districts, or two districts and five charter schools, independently find a book meets the state definition. ^[1] The board's library media page says a title is added to the removal list once it has been removed for objective sensitive material in at least three school districts, or at least two districts and five charter schools, and lists the removal list as last updated Sept. 28. ^[2]

Parent Shawn Mathis told KUTV he objects to certain books he described as pornographic and questioned how they reach schools. Districts have until Oct. 16 to decide whether to join the data gathering and survey, and there is no deadline for finishing the review. ^[1]