[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6316279,"mediaKeyId","2377256-808f2da10fe209b75bf6ea86e44b5407","parentId",2377256,"title","Cache County schools honor teachers and hear Nibley Elementary progress report","audioSeconds",1198,"startMs",172000,"endMs",1370000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2377256-808f2da10fe209b75bf6ea86e44b5407&start=172&end=1370","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2377256-808f2da10fe209b75bf6ea86e44b5407/thumbnail_172000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6316279/Utah/Cache-County-schools-honor-teachers-and-hear-Nibley-Elementary-progress-report","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316279-dc82971b343d41d216d13a19ef6044d2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771117353&Signature=OjOehd1kRv5rwWWRH0ngynE5WKqFf56OVF4zC-UgPM7~YQC1ihUoAHRFxjQNN6D3L8bKHps5mAES5GJFaDJAOgk4vogICa~z7tV75skQHa39cbmOv2ZmzYTaCGLHw9KhS7RlUp2kQd~hBv3bHeY2wyo8lK8yiTOtfr46mP2cawgcbnOQBQd~zv0MGW-Br0SlcQQQgoYk5nc~34PSV6Fyoc0tLMLLSpset6v0UgtDLxp7e9SJXUh4WrZocaWdeEYSe1mz0~p0bWzpuSlUWaRfa3sm0T6SFKx6w6iHfGD0morkE69dtM~DKauiuzaAFu10u6wBcNRQ7aiiqrl5yqevlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-21T14:00:12Z","article","The Cache County School Board opened its Feb. 20 meeting by recognizing four teachers and one principal for excellence and later received a detailed presentation on Nibley Elementary’s programs, student demographics and recent academic gains.

Why it matters: Recognitions put a spotlight on classroom practice and local-school innovation; the Nibley presentation included concrete data the district and principals cited as evidence of recovery from pandemic-era declines in attendance and achievement.

Recognitions: The board honored Nicole Erickson (fourth-grade teacher at Nibley), Rebecca “Becky” Tholen (first-grade teacher at Wellsville Elementary), Julie Minor (first-grade teacher at River Heights Elementary) and Andrea Nelson (first-grade teacher at Nibley Elementary). Each teacher’s principal spoke about classroom strengths and contributions. Principal Lance Robbins said of Nicole Erickson, “It is truly an honor to stand before you tonight to recognize and celebrate Heritage Elementary School’s Teacher of the Year, Nicole Erickson,” and praised her classroom connections and innovation.

Nibley Elementary report: Principal Cindy King presented Nibley Elementary as a neighborhood walking school that opened in 1999 and reported current enrollment of 516 students (pre-K through sixth grade). King said 33% of students are economically disadvantaged, 20% have disabilities and 5% are English-language learners. She highlighted academic gains: language-arts proficiency increases to about 61% last year (a 7.5 percentage-point rise reported by the presenter) and a current early-literacy figure showing 69.3% of students reading on grade level, a 10.9-point increase from the prior score cited in the presentation. King described attendance initiatives — class popcorn parties for meeting 90% attendance and biweekly recognition draws — and credited a licensed clinical social worker and PLC (professional learning community) work for measurable growth.

Other business: During the meeting the board approved the consent agenda and unanimously approved the district’s recommended CTE health science curriculum. Business administrator Jared Black presented the district’s mission statement earlier in the meeting. Superintendent Todd McKee reported approved out-of-state student trips and said a district committee would soon begin a systematic policy review.

Meeting tone: The board and presenters emphasized collaboration among teachers, principals and families; the board thanked family members and staff who attended the recognitions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","School Board Meeting - Business Session: February 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Cache County School Board recognized four teachers and one principal for outstanding work and heard a Nibley Elementary presentation highlighting enrollment, achievement gains and attendance incentives; the board also approved routine consent items and a CTE health science curriculum earlier in the meeting.","taxTitle","Cache County School District, Utah School Boards, Utah","taxId",74853,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6316285,"Cache County board upholds review committees, keeps The Kite Runner in high school libraries",794,1922000,2716000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2377256-808f2da10fe209b75bf6ea86e44b5407&start=1922&end=2716","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2377256-808f2da10fe209b75bf6ea86e44b5407/thumbnail_1922000.jpg","/articles/6316285/Utah/Cache-County-board-upholds-review-committees-keeps-The-Kite-Runner-in-high-school-libraries","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316285-bd46cf9b78fdfcafddefe4779897837e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771117353&Signature=G5C3x4riTP4D9VCAd1~ASV1snKVInbREPP0qmshbOJw2p3NlCvpOxM2V~s2ZV95pmKXbXJJahZ3bYefcNRvlvLQmyhl8~u8NuKkOTVtyInNLn8hzP2M9DisezYcMQSDtCRLY~9jCPBXfDSHQYgqW29KcAn54gaysRaS4UxuQKbM1hRqGS27sls92s1lFjG0lXEUPp0nsM2wpHNWQR8HKQYmoDvuanzc4iJfcVzb1Dxy1k6itEs~D2O9QeOIhzImMGWkd7ybVmT5WluHmsgNG0hkbNrQj4WmFweJ11VCmbR6gKzQed5TpCNDoks8Jltf~drZIRe747n2wATFBizKJDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cache County School Board voted unanimously Thursday to uphold the decisions of two internal review committees that recommended keeping Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner accessible in the district’s high school libraries.

The decision followed more than an hour of public comment from parents, students and teachers both for and against the book, legal references to Utah’s sensitive-materials statute, and a board review that included reading the book and examining committee checklists. A statement issued in absentia by board president Terry Rhodes and read at the meeting concluded that, even though the text mentions sexual violence, “it is not described or depicted in a way that violates Utah Code 76-10-1227.” The board also recorded a procedural finding that the district did not convene the objective-review committee before the subjective-review committee and recommended corrective action.

Why it matters: The case illustrates tensions between parents seeking greater control over materials available to minors and educators who say certain titles have literary and instructional value. It also prompted the board to direct the district to tighten compliance with its own review procedures and state rules.

Public comment was dominated by parents, students and educators defending the book’s presence as a tool for learning and empathy. Katie Child, identified as a parent of four district students, said, “I speak tonight in support of keeping The Kite Runner on our high school library shelves.” Julianne Duffin, another parent, urged the board not to remove books that “address tough issues” and said removing them “denies students the opportunity to learn, question and grow.” Students and teachers from Ridgeline and Skyview high schools described classroom experience with the book; Ridgeline sophomore Amy Waite said the novel “displays the effects of cowardice and cruelty” and argued that removing it would “blind ourselves.”

Several speakers argued the book violates Utah’s statutory standard for sensitive material. Pamela Budge read the statute’s definition aloud at the meeting and urged removal on that basis. Hillary Prietas argued the book “violated number 2 four times, and number 3 two times” under the district checklist used in the objective review, referring to categories in the state rule about sexual content and explicit description.

Board members who spoke said they had examined the statute, read committee reports and read the book themselves. Board member Bridal Chambers said the panel and board concluded the passage(s) in question did not “appeal to the prurient interest in minors” when taken in context and that the committees found the book has serious literary, artistic or political value. Chambers added the district will take steps through its Teaching and Learning department to correct the sequence of committee review.

Votes at a glance:
- Motion to uphold the review committees’ decision on The Kite Runner: moved by Bridal Chambers, seconded by Alan Grunig; vote: unanimous (tally: yes 7, no 0, abstain 0, absent 0). Outcome: approved.
- Motion to approve the CTE health science curriculum (separate agenda item): moved by Jeff Nielsen, seconded by Bridal Chambers; vote: unanimous (tally: yes 7, no 0, abstain 0, absent 0). Outcome: approved.
- Motion to approve the consent agenda (multiple routine items): moved by Randall Bagley, seconded (name not specified in audio); vote: unanimous (tally: yes 7, no 0, abstain 0, absent 0). Outcome: approved.

Board follow-up: The board recorded a required corrective action after finding the objective-review committee was not convened before the subjective-review committee as required by state rules. Board members said the Teaching and Learning department will implement the corrective steps and the board will monitor compliance.

Meeting context and scope: The district reported 13 people signed up to speak during public input; of those, the majority urged retention of the book, while several parents and advocates cited the statutory standard as reason for removal. The discussion drew multiple district staff, principals and community members and ran into the board’s subsequent agenda items.","After a two-hour public comment period and legal review, the Cache County School Board voted unanimously Feb. 20 to uphold review committees’ decision to retain The Kite Runner in high school libraries, while recommending corrective steps to the district’s review process.","actionData","errors"]

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Cache County schools honor teachers and hear Nibley Elementary progress report

Cache County board upholds review committees, keeps The Kite Runner in high school libraries