Educators urge Utah board to reinstate Council for Exceptional Children standards

Dr. Mallory Poole, who said she is moving to a full-time faculty position at Southern Utah University and is an adjunct at Utah Tech University, told the Utah State Board of Education she was "deeply concerned about the recent decision to remove the Council for Exceptional Children's Standards from Utah's educator licensing requirements."

The request to reinstate the CEC standards drew a string of public comments from special-education teachers, university faculty and professional organizers who said the standards provide a research-based framework for teacher preparation and ongoing professional development. "To remove these standards ... would be a disservice to our community," said Shanabath Vakil, who spoke in favor of keeping the standards.

Nut graf: The public commenters said the CEC standards — cited by speakers as foundational for preparing special-education teachers and aligning practice with federal law — were removed by a prior USBE vote and that the board should reconsider that action to protect teacher preparation quality and student supports. Speakers linked the standards to compliance with federal laws such as IDEA and Section 504 and to professional practices used in evaluation and in-service training.

Several speakers described concrete effects they expect if the standards are not reinstated. Melina Alexander, who described more than 30 years in special education and current work as a professor of teacher education, said removing the standards appears to be a reaction to recent legislation restricting certain training (she referenced House Bill 261 and HB 221 in her remarks). Alexander said Standard 6.3 of the CEC standards — which mentions diversity in the context of families and school environments — supports teachers' ability to consider a student's whole context.

Kelly Kershner, who identified herself as having worked in public education for more than 35 years, said CEC is the "largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the success of children and youth with disabilities and or gifts and talents" and urged the board to revisit a June 6, 2024 vote that speakers said relied on older (2012) standards rather than the updated 2020 standards. "Removal of the CEC standards is not in Utah children's best interests and will contribute to lower outcomes for children and teachers," Kershner said.

Shambi Polykernis, speaking for the Utah chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children, told the board the chapter represents higher-education programs, licensed special-education teachers, related-service professionals and advocates and offered the chapter as a resource to provide technical expertise. She said the board's review process that counted instances of terms such as "diversity" was too simplistic and did not reflect professional meanings used by educators.

Speakers also tied the standards to federal compliance and practice: the chapter's remarks referenced ADA, IDEA, Section 504 and the "Andrew F." Supreme Court ruling as legal contexts where professional standards guide practice. Several commenters asked the board to consider adopting the 2020 CEC standards and noted the international CEC convention planned in Salt Lake City in 2026.

Discussion vs. decision: These remarks were made during the public-comment period; the transcript does not show a new board motion or vote on reinstatement during the comments. A staff member noted that the CEC standards and teacher-preparation stipends appear as agenda item 9 for the meeting, indicating formal consideration may occur later on the agenda.

Ending: Commenters asked the board to solicit technical input from Utah CEC members and higher-education faculty if the board pursues revisions to teacher-licensing competencies, and several offered to provide materials or consultative support.