Board Proposes New Incident Reporting Standards Under Senate Bills 170 and 223

The August 2025 LEA Data Meeting held in Utah on August 14 focused on improving the accuracy and clarity of incident and discipline data reporting among Local Education Agencies (LEAs). A key discussion point was the annual requirement for reporting disciplinary and law enforcement actions, which has become increasingly important as disruptive behavior remains the most reported category of incidents.

During the meeting, officials highlighted that nearly half of reported incidents fall under the "disruption or other" category. A review of the data indicated that many incidents, such as fighting and bullying, were not being reported using the appropriate infraction codes. For instance, there were approximately 1,000 incidents of disruptive behavior reported in 2024, which decreased to 787 in 2025. However, the number of fighting incidents increased, indicating a need for better categorization.

To address these issues, the meeting announced upcoming changes to data reporting requirements, including new emergency safety intervention (ESI) fields mandated by Senate Bill 170. These changes aim to enhance data collection on interventions like physical restraint and seclusion, as well as the demographics of students involved. Additionally, new infraction codes will be introduced to provide clearer reporting guidelines.

The meeting also discussed the need for LEAs to report previously unrequired data to the Utah State Board of Education (USB), including outcomes of ESI incidents and relevant staff training. While these changes are still in the discussion phase, there is a push to implement them within the next 18 months.

Furthermore, the meeting addressed modifications to the terminology used in reporting, changing the term "victim" to "subject" to better align with legal definitions. This adjustment aims to facilitate more accurate reporting of incidents involving bullying and harassment.

Overall, the meeting underscored the importance of precise data reporting in understanding and addressing student behavior in schools. The anticipated changes are expected to improve the quality of data collected, ultimately aiding in the development of more effective interventions and policies.