[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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",[32,76],{"_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":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",5988199,"mediaKeyId","5766175-182d5026d716e57b5efa060e66fe195b","parentId",5766175,"title","USDB audit prompts committee to seek strategic plan, internal controls consultancy and code clarifications","audioSeconds",2742,"startMs",4202000,"endMs",1460000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766175-182d5026d716e57b5efa060e66fe195b&start=4202&end=1460","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766175-182d5026d716e57b5efa060e66fe195b/thumbnail_4202000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/5988199/Utah/USDB-audit-prompts-committee-to-seek-strategic-plan-internal-controls-consultancy-and-code-clarifications","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5988199-ac9d29ae04d713fe1346591424946d16/orig.mp4?Expires=1774921340&Signature=Q4qt5kCige-uZl-dVV9zSeGCaavLYc2kUVB7W2r7E~sR02-R6sYmK4fnX723ZN0wLqx0GN9hKJBlR7n0opRfS7O-8OGZ2mpcZ3x19TRYzjaxgIir55SvTQNndzL5gtSaMUfCYBGqm7u0af7pbZW9IgX8PjIPciRzUPtd7F9AWw23oU7E~9nwa8ZIsICSVpB0UnQ0fH2IGieDynvnhOmeD9~bKehxRMgSizbQ2rGq~IuTwYdnu3pFD2XHcKAsmDWdIPUbdAxvOk-Zpsd-mcwg~5BTtSRSUF3o75zGOaJyc8b9h4rtYSQsuuQ752~23U1lcr7G1jARenH3VQVQi4Cfog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Financial Operations","date","2025-09-12T00:00:00Z","article","The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) standing committee spent the bulk of its September meeting reviewing a recently released internal audit and voted on a set of recommendations intended to clarify governance, strengthen internal controls and align policy and finance structures.

Nut graf: Committee members and USDB leadership said the audit identified gaps in organizational structure, policy completeness, data accuracy and internal controls. The committee unanimously asked staff to return with specific recommendations on the advisory council’s role, strategic planning, possible consolidation of certain accounts, and to seek board support for an internal-audit consultancy to build internal controls and reporting systems.

Committee discussion and votes
USDB Interim Superintendent Subhashinda Hart led an overview of the audit, grouping recommendations into four “buckets”: organizational structure, competency/accountability/metrics, policy completeness, and data and funding accuracy. Hart said those pieces together form a “skeleton” for the agency and recommended a strategic plan, an internal control environment and a policy-calendar process as the primary steps forward.

Board members repeatedly asked for clarity on the advisory council’s role. The audit noted that the USDB advisory council currently acts in ways similar to school community councils (SCCs) and that USDB policy, foundation donations, enrichment funds and other donated accounts are not consistently aligned or clearly documented. Assistant Superintendent Deborah Jacobson explained that foundations are typically legally separate entities from LEAs and that arrangements vary; Chief Audit Executive Debbie Davis said clearer code and policy language would help reduce confusion.

The committee approved several motions: first, it asked staff to return with information on the advisory council’s role and whether following SCC guidelines would narrow or expand the council’s scope; what logistical or policy changes would be required to address audit recommendations including combining certain accounts; and how responsibilities between the advisory council and the foundation should be defined. That motion passed unanimously.

The committee also moved, and unanimously passed, a recommendation that the full board support the superintendent’s request to engage the Utah State Board of Education internal audit section as a consultant to help develop internal controls for USDB. Committee members and interim leadership indicated that an internal controls consultant would help set up a control environment, identify critical administrative functions for risk assessment, and align personnel and performance measures with a strategic plan. The internal-audit team is expected to consider this consultancy request at its next audit meeting; committee members noted the earliest full-board action could be in October.

Strategic plan, organizational structure and code language
Committee members directed staff to return with recommendations for additional strategic-plan work including participants, budget and timeline; the motion passed unanimously. Members emphasized that a strategic plan would provide the basis for aligning all funding sources (school land trust, donated funds, foundation funds, enrichment funds) with organizational priorities.

A separate motion addressing statutory clarity moved through several iterations. Committee members asked staff and legal counsel to propose language that would clarify lines in the 2025 code that both (a) create USDB “as a subdivision of the state board and a single public school agency” and (b) elsewhere refer to appointment of a superintendent of USDB. The final committee recommendation that passed unanimously asked the full board to adopt and support the audit requirements to bring both financial and programmatic systems under the agency and to recommend code changes that would allow the state superintendent of public instruction to appoint an assistant (or designate an agency-level position) to function as the on-the-ground superintendent for USDB. Committee members and audit staff emphasized the objective is clarity of authority and reduction of overlapping reporting lines, not an immediate personnel change.

Clarifications about funds and accountability
Committee members queried the relationship between donated funds, foundation accounts, and enrichment funds. Committee members and staff agreed this is a key area of confusion the audit highlighted: historically, donated funds had sometimes been held at division levels and later combined, while the advisory council currently approves enrichment expenditures though foundation-donated funds are managed separately by the foundation board. Assistant Superintendent Jacobson and Chief Audit Executive Davis said these differences reflect typical variations across LEAs and that clearer policy and internal control documentation is needed.

Other points and next steps
- Implementation path: Interim Superintendent Hart described three priorities: (1) create clear organizational structure and strategic plan; (2) establish internal controls and risk assessments; and (3) develop and maintain up-to-date policies and a policy calendar. Hart said these steps would drive accountability, allow performance metrics to be aligned to agency goals, and improve transparency about who is served and how services are funded.
- Timeline and process: The committee requested staff return with recommended language, policy and logistical changes and a timeline and budget for strategic-plan work. The committee also voted to recommend the full board support the internal audit consultancy; the audit section will consider the request and, if approved, work as a consultant to design internal controls and reporting mechanisms.

Ending: The committee voted unanimously on the package of recommendations and instructed staff and legal counsel to draft proposed rule or statutory language as necessary. Members signaled intent to convene follow-up meetings to review the strategic plan work, advisory-council role definition and policy updates.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-09-09 | USDB Committee Meeting | USBE","oneSentenceSummary","The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) standing committee spent the bulk of its September meeting reviewing an internal audit and voted unanimously to ask staff for recommendations on advisory-council roles, strategic planning, account consolidation, and to seek board support for an internal-audit consultancy to build internal controls.","taxTitle","Financial Operations , Utah Board of Education, Offices, Departments, and Divisions, Organizations, Utah Executive Branch, Utah","taxId",67095,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},5988204,"USDB committee approves student-owned device policy; tighter limits at deaf school, phone use allowed as assistive tech at blind school",164,260000,424000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5766175-182d5026d716e57b5efa060e66fe195b&start=260&end=424","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5766175-182d5026d716e57b5efa060e66fe195b/thumbnail_260000.jpg","/articles/5988204/Utah/USDB-committee-approves-student-owned-device-policy-tighter-limits-at-deaf-school-phone-use-allowed-as-assistive-tech-at-blind-school","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/5988204-4f72ba7c7da325d91937a057175c77c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1774921340&Signature=nZM33D3HWdXsJsHNFnUhwGq4OSphvnnF~3ENaU5WNEbwYIf51vFOTEvuy2fvoF25Xh-zZxHDgwOPo3RWXH6N~ICD~~aVyUjNBpk1Hrd0bm2GmB9M5~ww4d3cqKNg4LIlontqFC~kCmtyjUc9h6jg6bqu04XeQG-uGviwkqmXMme54MUCicSzm-gfPBtMlubbsmYYydKSsFdWLPHWfFBaXiS~urNmoHcSdaR0CzeGX8eBHCRD29KzWn7IF2g0iE1RsYHWok5cBUSzKvl6QeLpEBKx~2ret9LpBVIcWCyl5IvOgcxXPlU9-U4kbp-WlDnn6F4f03F92d9PdiJPbG6P9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) standing committee voted unanimously to review and approve a student-owned device policy and forward it to the Utah State Board of Education for final approval. The committee action followed a presentation describing separate approaches for the agency's deaf and blind programs.

The committee chair, Lianne Wood, opened the agenda item and introduced a presentation explaining that USDB considered two model policies — one more restrictive and one more permissive — and chose a restrictive model for the deaf-school program. The policy adopted by the committee requires personal devices to be powered off, set to silent, or stored out of sight from the start of the school day until dismissal, except when a teacher permits device use for instructional purposes.

Nut graf: Committee members and USDB presenters said the restriction is intended to protect classroom engagement and visual attention in the deaf school, while allowing controlled device use in the blind school for assistive-technology instruction. The committee unanimously agreed to forward the policy to the full board for final approval.

USDB presenters told the committee that the deaf-school restriction is aimed at ensuring students give visual attention to teachers and classroom instruction. A presenter said teachers can call for device use when it is needed for instruction, but that generally devices should not be visible in class because visual distraction prevents effective instruction for deaf students. The presenter also referenced research and prior board discussion that informed the choice of a restrictive policy for that campus.

On the school-for-the-blind side, presenters said the program needs to teach students how to use smartphones and other personal devices as assistive technology. The blind program was described as small (11 students currently enrolled) and easy to monitor; device use there will be at the discretion of the director and classroom teachers for instructional purposes.

Board member Cindy Davis asked how extensive device use was at each school and how the policy would be enforced. USDB staff said the school for the blind does not currently have a problem with non-instructional device use because of small class sizes and close teacher monitoring; staff said no additional cost has been incurred to implement the policy. For the deaf school they said students are commonly attached to phones and staff have seen classroom disruption when devices are allowed. The presenters said teachers received training at the start of the school year and that the enforcement approach emphasizes instruction and correction rather than punitive discipline; staff described placing confiscated devices in lockers or returning them after a conversation with the student.

On storage, presenters said devices are currently placed in student lockers on arrival; the policy allows school leaders the option to purchase keyed phone-storage lockers in the future but no such purchase has been made.

Action: Committee member Cindy Davis moved that the committee review and approve the student-owned device policy and forward it to the board for final approval. The motion passed unanimously; the committee recorded the outcome as forward to the board for final approval.

Ending: The committee signaled it will return to review policies and implementation details in future meetings as necessary; the approved motion will be included in materials for the full Utah State Board of Education to consider on final action.","The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind standing committee voted unanimously to approve a student-owned device policy that requires personal devices be powered off or stored out of sight during the school day at the deaf school while allowing device use for assistive technology at the school for the blind.","actionData","errors"]

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USDB audit prompts committee to seek strategic plan, internal controls consultancy and code clarifications

USDB committee approves student-owned device policy; tighter limits at deaf school, phone use allowed as assistive tech at blind school