A school district in Farmington, Utah, says it will pay $2 million to the family of Isabella “Izzy” Tichenor, an autistic Black student who died by suicide in 2021.
Izzy’s family claimed the 10-year-old was bullied by her classmates because of her race and disability, CNN previously reported. After her death, the Davis School District faced questions over how its schools handled bullying allegations.
An independent investigation commissioned by the district found Izzy’s school, Foxboro Elementary, did not investigate bullying allegations in a timely manner. The report also concluded the girl had been mistreated but could not confirm whether it was due to her race or disability.
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In a joint statement with the Tichenor-Cox family, the school district said the agreement was a “mutual resolution.”
Izzy’s loss “will always impact our community and school,” the statement said.
The district also noted it is committed to making its school safe for all and will ensure reports of bullying are “thoroughly documented, addressed promptly, and appropriate consequences will be administered.”
“The District is continually assessing and expanding its processes and efforts to better support every student who attends its schools, including implementing trauma-informed counseling and other resources for its students,” the joint statement said.
The district also announced an official apology and a separate $200,000 settlement involving three students who alleged discrimination.
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“On behalf of the Davis School District, I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to you, and most especially, to your three children for the unwelcome experiences they had while attending school in our district,” Davis Superintendent Dan Linford wrote in a letter to their parents.
“I am grateful to you for bringing your children’s experiences to our attention.”
The Justice Department previously investigated the Davis School District in 2021 which resulted in a report and settlement agreement that detailed how Black and Asian American students were harassed for years and officials had deliberately ignored complaints from parents and students.
Editor’s Note: If you or a loved one have contemplated suicide, call The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to connect with a trained counselor.
SALT LAKE CITY — As temperatures rise, the waves beckon boaters and skiers. But will you know what to do and have the needed items aboard in case of an emergency? Two Utah experts share their knowledge and experience about boat safety.
Ty Hunter, boating program manager, and Steve Bullock, chief of law enforcement for the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, discussed boat and people safety tips with KSL NewsRadio’s Dave and Dujanovic.
Hunter said boaters could speed as fast as they like on open waters but must slow to a wake-less idle if they are within 150 feet of other boats, a dock, a boat ramp, anglers on shore or a skier down.
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“Even retrieving your own skier, approach them slowly and that’ll be able to prevent most, if not all, of our collision incidences,” he said.
Hunter’s advice to boaters: Slow down, you are on vacation.
He said to check the weather forecast before heading out on the water as it can change quickly in Utah, especially at higher elevations.
Boat safety items to carry onboard
Nationally, 80% of people who drowned in boating accidents would have survived had they been wearing a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), according to the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation.
Utah law states there must be at least one properly-sized U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket for each person aboard a vessel. Also, 12-years-old and younger passengers must wear a properly-sized Coast Guard-approved life jacket whenever a boat is in operation.
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According to the Presonal blog, in addition to PFDs, boaters should also carry aboard:
Food and water
Distress signals
Tools and spare parts
Fire extinguishers
First aid kit
Radio to receive weather updates
Flashlight and spare batteries
Boaters should also carry PFDs that are throwable devices or life savers for people in the water. A throwable device is required for all boats over 16 feet in length, Bullock said.
“A lot of times it looks like a square seat cushion. It’s rated by the Coast Guard for certain amount of flotation. It’s easy to throw. A lot of times when you try to throw a life jacket that kind of twirls in the wind. This has a little bit more weight and heft to it so you can get it to somebody,” he said.
If you see someone struggling in the water, throw them a PDF but never jump in to save a person without putting on a life jacket first, Bullock said.
A throwable device is “just a basic piece of safety equipment that we want everybody to have on their boats.”
Don’t drink and drive a boat
Boating under the influence (BUI) is the same as driving under the influence. The same penalties apply, including suspension of driver’s license, possible jail time and fines, says the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation. If arrested, your boat, trailer and tow vehicle may be impounded.
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Reward offered for Strawberry Walleye invasion
Dave & Dujanovic can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. on KSL NewsRadio. Users can find the show on the KSL NewsRadio website and app, as well as Apple Podcasts and Google Play.
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PROVO, Utah — The man accused of killing Sgt. Bill Hooser has been charged. Utah County Attorney, Jeffrey S. Gray, spoke at a press conference this morning to detail the charges. He also said they will seek the death penalty.
Utah County Attorney’s office has now filed formal charges against Michael Jayne.
Formal charges filed
The following charges have been filed
1 count of aggravated murder
2 counts of attempted aggravated murder – For UHP attempted, and woman who was passenger.
1 count of aggravated kidnapping.
1 count of burglary.
3 counts of automobile theft.
1 count of failing to obey the lawful command to stop
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says his state’s “unique” qualities helped it come in at the top spot on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best States” survey for the second year in a row.
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Utah repeated as the No. 1 state in America in U.S. News & World Report’s Best States rankings for 2024, thanks in part to its consistency.
“The American Dream is alive and well,” Cox said in response to the report at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, where he also spotlighted his “Disagree Better” initiative encouraging bipartisanship among the nation’s governors.
“One of the things that makes Utah special is that we lead the nation in upward mobility and social capital, connectedness, that we lead the nation every year in service and charitable giving, and that we don’t rely on government to solve all of our problems,” Cox told Fox News Digital. “I think that the conservative policies that we’ve championed have made us not just the best economy in the country, but also, you know, we’re No. 2 in education.”
WHY ARE AMERICANS FLEEING THE WEST COAST FOR THIS DEEP RED STATE? FREEDOM AND FRIENDLINESS
Gov. Spencer Cox applauds after signing two social media regulation bills during a ceremony at the Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 23, 2023.(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
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The U.S. News project analyzed more than 70 metrics across eight categories, including fiscal stability, health care, infrastructure and crime and corrections. Utah performed the best in education (No. 2), economy (No. 3) and infrastructure (No. 3). The Beehive State also moved up year over year in several categories, including crime and corrections (+6) and opportunity (+2).
Natural environment was the only category where Utah – known for its geographical diversity, national parks and skiing and snowboarding resorts – finished in the bottom half of the list, at No. 46. The report said the category reflected metrics like pollution threats and air and water quality.
In January 2023, Cox signed the Utah Fits All Scholarship, a multi-use scholarship program for K-12 students in which participants can receive an education spending account of up to $8,000 to pay for education-related items, including textbooks, tutors and private school tuition.
“We’ve been able to get more funding for education, but also, we passed school choice to empower parents,” Cox said. “We’ve given our teachers the largest raises in our state’s history and given families more choices to be able to use taxpayer dollars to send their kids wherever they want to go. And so, again, not having it be a zero-sum game, finding solutions that benefit everyone and smaller government… I think those are the things that keep Utah No. 1.”
Utah has come out on top in other recent stats. Provo, Utah, claimed the top spot among 20 cities where young adults make up the largest percentage of homeowners, according to research from MoneyGeek. In the city, home to Brigham Young University, people under 25 make up roughly 39% of homeowners. And young adults own more homes than those ages 25-44, 44-65 or over 65, according to the report.
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“We’re the youngest state in the nation,” Cox said. “We believe in families, and we think having kids is a great thing and really important. But also, we’re working hard. The price of housing has been going up, and we want kids to be able to own homes. And I’m grateful we have places like Provo that are leading there.”
But, he said, they “still have work to do,” noting the state passed “the most aggressive starter home package in the country.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on May 9, 2024.(Fox News Digital)
LIBERALS FUME AS UTAH GOVERNOR HONORS BLACK HISTORY MONTH DAYS AFTER SIGNING ANTI-DEI BILL
“We need to build 35,000 starter homes over the course of the next five years to keep the American Dream alive,” Cox said. “And so we’re dedicated to that. I believe it’s immoral to not have homeownership and the American Dream, the ability to buy a home and start a family as part of, again, the fabric of our society.”
Californians, in particular, have been migrating to Utah in recent years — nearly 19,000 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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“I think there’s lots of reasons,” Cox said of Californians coming to Utah. “Again, I think we have a very strong economy. For sure. I think we’re much less regulated. I do think that these are the laboratories of democracy. California’s chosen a very different path, you know, a very progressive path. And, and I think it shows it’s not working as more and more people are leaving California. And I think what we’re doing in Utah is working, and that’s attracting people from California and elsewhere.”
Cox said Utah’s issues now were “growth related” from people flooding into the state.
“People always ask me, how are you going to stop that from happening? Well, I can’t. I want us to be the No. 1 state,” he said.
Fox News’ Sean Hannity confronted California Gov. Gavin Newsom last June about his state’s population exodus. California lost 117,552 people between Jan. 1, 2021 and Jan. 1, 2022, according to the state’s Department of Finance, dropping its population down to where it was in 2016.
Welcome to Utah sign on Utah-Arizona border.(Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Newsom highlighted his state’s economic outlook and pointed to red states that lost residents.
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“Look at the facts,” Newsom said. “We’re the fourth-largest economy in the world. This belies all of that rhetoric, everything you just said. You didn’t talk about all those red states that have opposite policies that you embrace. Something is clearly not working right in those states… Mississippi, Louisiana, West Virginia that all had higher population loss.”
California’s population increased by 67,000 people last year to 39,128,162, according to recent data released by the California Department of Finance (DOF), marking the first year since 2020 that the state has seen a net increase.
To keep up with the influx of people and retain a high quality of life, Cox said Utah has to invest in infrastructure.
“I hope that other states will copy what we’re doing so that their residents don’t feel like they need to leave, that they’ll want to stay because they’re doing, they’re deregulating and adopting these conservative values that have made Utah such an attractive place,” he said.
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Fox News’ Alicia Warren contributed to this report.
