Davis School District

Davis School District
Address
45 East State Street
PO Box 588[1]: 72 [2]
Farmington
, Utah, 84025
United States
District information
TypePublic
MottoLearning First!
GradesPK - 12
Established1911
SuperintendentDan Linford
Governing agencyUtah Department of Education
Schools
  • 59 elementary schools
  • 17 junior high schools
  • 8 high schools
  • 4 special schools[1]: 72–79 
NCES District ID4900210[3]
Students and staff
Students72,987[1]: 72 
Teachers2,769[1]: 72 
Other information
Websitewww.davis.k12.ut.us

Davis School District is a school district serving Davis County, Utah, United States. Headquartered in the county seat of Farmington, it is the 61st largest school district in the United States and the 2nd largest school district in Utah with 72,987 students attending Davis schools as of 2019.[1]: 72  It is located almost entirely within Davis County. Students attend elementary school from kindergarten to 6th grade, junior high from 7th grade-9th grade, and high school from 10th grade-12th grade.[2]

History

The school district was founded in 1911 with 2,730 students attending 31 neighborhood schools across Davis County. The inaugural school board member and president was future Utah governor Henry Blood.[4]

In 2006, the Davis School District received recognition for having the nation's top graduation rate among the 100 largest school districts in the United States, according to a survey by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Also in 2006, the superintendent, Dr. W. Bryan Bowles was awarded superintendent of the year in Utah.[Note 1]

For the 2016–17 school year, Reid Newey moved from the Weber School District to become the superintendent of DSD. As of 2026, the current superintendent is Dan Linford.

Controversies and Lawsuits

American Civil Liberties Union Lawsuit (2012)

In 2012, district administrators were sued by the American Civil Liberties Union for deciding to remove the book In Our Mothers’ House by children's author Patricia Polacco from the shelves of their elementary school libraries due to its content about lesbian mothers.[6][7] The district returned the book to shelves a few months later.[8]

Lawsuit Against a School District Bus Driver and Department of Justice Investigation (2019)

In 2019, a Davis school bus driver closed the bus doors on the backpack of a boy, pinning him outside the bus and dragging him forward over 150 feet. His family sued the driver, alleging this was done intentionally to racially harass the boy, who was biracial. They pointed to previous instances of racial harassment by the driver and attempts at retaliation for reporting him.[9][10] The district settled the suit in 2021 for $62,500 and acknowledged the racial assault.[11] The incident also sparked a three-year investigation into the Davis School District by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). That investigation found that racial harassment was widespread in the school district and hundreds of complaints were intentionally unaddressed.[12] Black and Asian students in the district faced a hostile environment where they were subjected to racial slurs, and Davis School District employees responded to complaints by telling them "not to be so sensitive or [making] excuses for harassing students by explaining that they were 'not trying to be racist'".[13] The DOJ required the district to create a plan to address the systemic problems moving forward which included changing its policies, offering more training, and creating an equity department for racial discrimination complaints with a director that is approved by the federal government.[12][14]

Department of Justice Settlement (2021-2025)

In October of 2021 after a three-year investigation, the Department of Justice publicly determined that Davis School District "had failed to respond appropriately to known harassment of Black and Asian-American students, including frequent racial slurs and epithets, threats of violence, and physical assault by staff and students."[15] They used Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to make the District enter into a settlement to resolve these issues.[15]Title VI of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination of any protected class in any institution that receives federal funding (like the Davis School District).[16]

Lawsuit from death because of racially motivated bullying (2021)

In 2021, a ten-year-old black girl who attended the District's Foxboro Elementary School committed suicide due to racist bullying, sparking national outcry.[14] An independent investigation that was commissioned by the district found that staff had joined in on the mistreatment of the girl. In 2023, her family was awarded $2 million in a civil rights settlement, to be paid by Davis School District.[17]

Removal of the Bible and other books from some schools (2022)

In 2023, the district removed the Bible from its elementary and middle schools while keeping it in high schools after a committee reviewed the scripture in response to a parental complaint. The district has removed other titles, including Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and John Green’s Looking for Alaska, following a 2022 state law requiring districts to include parents in decisions over what constitutes "sensitive material."[18][19][20][21][22] The ban was lifted a few weeks later.[23]

Lawsuit by staff member investigating discrimination per DOJ Agreement (2024)

In 2022, Joscelin Thomas was hired by Davis School District per the 2021 DOJ agreement to investigate instances of racial harassment that were reported but not acted on by the District. In January 2024, she alleged that she was discriminated against multiple times, including wrongful termination, because of her skin color.[24] The District and former employee settled for $143,558 out of court later that year.[25]

Lawsuit by 6 former Davis High School female soccer players alleging "institutional betrayal" (2026)

In January 2026, 6 former members of the Davis High Girls' Soccer team sued the District over its mishandling of grooming and sexual harassment complaints regarding their head coach. During his tenure at Davis High, head coach Soulivanh "Souli" Phongsavath faced accusations of grooming and sexual harassment from multiple former and current players. The mishandling of these complaints led to additional harassment by students and staff.[26]

Allegations against the head coach:

  • Encouraging the female players to make music video recreations wearing swimsuits, sometimes on school grounds
  • Judging female players in dance competitions at pool parties he attended
  • Engaging in sexually charged one-on-one conversations with female players in person, via text and Snapchat, including details of his former work as a stripper

Allegations against the Davis School District:

  • Leaking the identities of the girls who brought allegations against Souli
  • Refusing to intervene when retaliation started because of their leaked identities

Allegations against Dan Linford, District Superintendent:

  • Dismissing the above allegations against the head coach as "not concerning to him or to the district"
  • Conflict of interest in dismissing these allegations, given that his son plays for a club team Souli coaches[27][28][29][30]

Communities

Davis School District, which has the same boundaries as that of Davis County, serves the following communities:[31]

Schools

The following schools are part of Davis School District:[1]: 72–79 

Elementary schools[Note 2]

Junior high schools

High schools

Special schools

  • Family Enrichment Center - Kaysville
  • Mountain High School - Kaysville
  • Pioneer Adult Rehabilitation Center - Clearfield
  • Renaissance Academy - Kaysville
  • Vista education campus - Farmington

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Until 2016, Dr. W. Bryan Bowles was the superintendent of Davis School District.[1]: 72  However, effective 31 August, he retired and a replacement had yet to be named.[5]
  2. ↑ As of 2016, Fruit Heights was the only city within Davis County which does not have an elementary school located within the city. (All the communities within Davis County, except Hill Air Force Base are classified as cities.)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Utah's 2015-16 Educational Directory". schools.utah.gov. Utah State Office of Education. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "About Davis School District". davis.k12.ut.us. Davis School District. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Davis District". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ Winters, Rosemary. "Davis School District celebrates 100 years of education". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 18, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ Jacobsen, Morgan (July 13, 2016). "Davis School District superintendent announces retirement". Deseret News. Salt Lake City: Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ Rogers, Melinda (November 14, 2012). "Davis district sued over flap about lesbian mothers book". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  7. ↑ Flood, Alison (November 15, 2012). "Utah district sued for segregating children's book about lesbian mums". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  8. ↑ Geidner, Chris (January 14, 2013). "Utah School District Students Can Read About Lesbian Parents Again". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  9. ↑ Tanner, Courtney (May 7, 2019). "A biracial Utah boy was shut in the doors of a school bus and left dangling outside as it drove forward. Now his family is suing". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  10. ↑ Andone, Dakin; Boyette, Chris (May 10, 2019). "School bus driver dragged biracial student because of his 'racial animus,' lawsuit says". CNN. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  11. ↑ Tanner, Courtney (July 17, 2019). "A Utah school district agrees to pay $62,500 after a biracial boy was dragged by a bus". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Tanner, Courtney (October 21, 2021). "Justice department chastises Utah school district for ignoring racial harassment of Black and Asian students". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  13. ↑ Chavez, Nicole (October 22, 2021). "A Utah school district ignored hundreds of racial harassment complaints against Black and Asian American students, DOJ says". CNN. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  14. 1 2 Metz, Sam (November 3, 2022). "Family of a Black Utah fifth grader who died by suicide to sue for school's response to bullying". USA TODAY. Associated Press. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  15. 1 2 https://le.utah.gov/interim/2023/pdf/00004625.pdf
  16. ↑ "Civil Rights Division | Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964". www.justice.gov. April 9, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  17. ↑ Tanner, Courtney (August 8, 2023). "A 10-year-old Black girl died by suicide after being bullied. Her Utah school district will now pay the family $2 million". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ Metz, Sam (June 1, 2023). "Utah district bans Bible in elementary and middle schools 'due to vulgarity or violence'". www.apnews.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  19. ↑ Tanner, Courtney (June 1, 2023). "The Bible is banned in these Utah elementary and middle schools now for 'vulgarity or violence'". www.sltrib.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  20. ↑ Matza, Max (June 2, 2023). "Utah primary schools ban Bible for 'vulgarity and violence'". www.bbc.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  21. ↑ Wilson, Tilda (June 2, 2023). "A Utah school district has removed the Bible from some schools' shelves". www.npr.org. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  22. ↑ Li, David K. (June 2, 2023). "Utah parent upset by book bans gets Bible pulled from school shelves to expose 'bad faith process'". www.nbcnews.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  23. ↑ Luscombe, Richard (June 21, 2023). "Utah district returns Bible to school libraries after reversal of parent-led ban". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  24. ↑ Sharp, Jonathon (January 10, 2024). "Woman hired to investigate racist harassment in Davis School District sues district for discrimination". ABC4 News. Retrieved May 18, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ↑ Vandenack, Tim. "Davis School District, ex-employee reach $143,558 settlement in discrimination suit". www.ksl.com. Retrieved May 18, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ↑ Harris, Martha (January 13, 2026). "Davis County Schools sued over handling of soccer coach grooming accusations". KUER. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  27. ↑ Harris, Martha (January 13, 2026). "Davis County Schools sued over handling of soccer coach grooming accusations". KUER. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  28. ↑ "6 students sue Davis School District over handling of misconduct complaints; accused former coach denies allegations". heraldextra.com. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  29. ↑ KUTV, Jim Spiewak (January 13, 2026). "Lawsuit claims school district failed to protect girls who reported grooming by coach". KUTV. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  30. ↑ Stefanich, Logan; Jan. 12, KSL | Posted-; P.m, 2026 at 5:04. "6 students sue Davis School District, alleging retaliation for reporting alleged misconduct". www.ksl.com. Retrieved May 19, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Davis County, UT" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 3, 2023. - Text list
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