A 36-page plan packed with extra proposed directives about what Utah teachers can and can’t do was rejected Thursday by the Utah State Board of Education.
Board leaders did approve though some minor tweaks to the existing rules.
Conservative board member Christina Boggess in August drafted the long list of behaviors she wanted added to the state’s rules for “immoral, unprofessional, incompetent, unethical or noncompliant” educator conduct.
Her proposed rewrite would have barred teachers from many specific actions, including “advertising” or recommending that students access mental health services; leaving students unattended during class “unless another educator or authorized and background-checked adult is present;” and bringing “pornographic content” onto campus, which under state law includes any books banned in Utah.
Boggess had also recommended stricter penalties for those who break the rules and a lower threshold for a “conviction.” In the context of teacher disciplinary cases, a “conviction” means a “final disposition of a judicial action for a criminal offense.”
The draft was met with swift backlash from teachers and education organizations early this month, who argued it allowed the USBE to take an overly prescriptive approach to violations that could potentially cost a teacher their license.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Board member Christina Boggess, District 8, listens during a meeting for the Utah State Board of Education in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
But in a special meeting Thursday, state board members didn’t even discuss Boggess’ draft, which was originally supposed to be debated as early as Sept. 4 during the board’s regular meeting.
Instead, the board passed a separate proposal by member Jennie Earl, which only tweaked the existing 13-page guidelines.
In Utah, a state panel overseen by the school board is responsible for investigating and responding to allegations of teacher misconduct.
That panel, called the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission, hears cases against teachers accused of a range of violations, including alleged sexual improprieties, fraud with taxpayer funds or drug and alcohol use on school grounds.
The 11-member group then recommends a punishment to the school board, including the suspension or revocation of a teaching license.
The most significant change to come out of Thursday’s meeting updated the rules around teacher relationships with recent high school graduates.
Right now, teachers are prohibited from starting a relationship with former students who have graduated less than a year or within a year of the graduate turning 18 years old, whichever is longer.
Under the update, though, “recent graduate” now means someone who’s within six months of graduating or otherwise officially exiting high school.
Another change clarifies what counts as a “boundary violation.”
Right now, that’s defined as “crossing verbal, physical, emotional and social lines that an educator must maintain to ensure structure, security, and predictability in an educational environment.”
The update update specifies that crossing such boundaries is not allowed with a “student or minor.”