Utah State Board backs UF/Safe Schools for Alex in bid to fund school-safety dashboard required by HB 84

The Utah State Board of Education voted 12–3 on a motion to direct staff to issue a letter supporting the University of Florida and Safe Schools for Alex in applying for a Department of Justice grant that—if awarded—would fund an interactive school-safety dashboard to fulfill requirements in House Bill 84 (2024). Chair Moss put the motion, which Brent Strait seconded, and the board approved it with three members voting no.

Board members said the decision was driven in part by the lack of state funding to build the interactive element of the dashboard and by an expedited grant timeline from the U.S. Department of Justice. Board staff and outside guests described the grant as a three-year opportunity that would make Utah a beneficiary of a roughly $2,000,000 award administered by the University of Florida and implemented by Safe Schools for Alex.

Why it matters: House Bill 84 requires an interactive comparison tool that lets the public view school-level safety and discipline indicators. Board and staff members said the state already collects the underlying discipline and law-enforcement data for schools but lacks the internal time, staff and budget to convert that information into the interactive format the law envisions.

"The most important thing is that if the students and the staff don't make it home to their families every day, nothing else matters," said Max Schachter, founder and CEO of Safe Schools for Alex, during public comment. Schachter described the Florida work following Parkland and said dashboards can increase transparency and focus on training and auditing to improve reporting accuracy.

Board staff described how the proposal would work if the grant is awarded. Chantelle Coda, director of student school safety and student support at USBE, said the state would be a partner in design and would retain oversight. "The data that we're looking at is the data that we're already reporting publicly in our school discipline and law enforcement action report," Coda said, adding that the draft letter of support would make clear USBE "will have oversight in how the dashboard looks as well as any of the data."

Erin Brough, director of data and statistics, said the dashboard's intent is to present already-collected, after-the-fact incident data in a more accessible, school-level format so parents and local leaders can "see what's happening in their school" rather than to predict events. "The intent is not to, say, be predictive in anything because this is all, after the fact data as it comes in to the state at the end of the year," Brough said.

Privacy and data controls were central to the discussion. Board members asked whether personally identifiable student information (PII) would be shared outside USBE. Coda and Aaron Brough (data staff) said datasets to be transferred would be aggregated or otherwise processed to prevent reidentification; Assistant Attorney General Michelle Buse stated that FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protects personally identifiable information but does not bar publication of aggregated school-level data that cannot identify individual students.

Board members pressed on several practical points: how the grant money could be used, whether any funding would flow directly to local education agencies (LEAs), who would own and control the dashboard, and whether publishing school-level incident counts might discourage accurate local reporting. Scott Jones, deputy superintendent of operations, said no state appropriation had been provided for the interactive element and that building the dashboard in-house would be possible but would require reprioritizing staff and funds.

Coda and staff said the grant included a modest allocation—about $25,000 per year—to USBE for oversight and technical support, and that the University of Florida/Safe Schools model would still allow USBE to review and approve any data before publication. The board debated whether accepting the University of Florida partnership would meet the DOJ timeline or whether the board should instead build the dashboard internally using state funds or a later federal funding source.

Opponents warned of possible harms. Member Klein and others cited past cases of underreporting and behavioral policy choices that can skew discipline data. Klein said reliance on published metrics alone can hide problems if districts fail to report accurately. "They are perversely disincentivized from reporting it," Klein said, arguing that some schools may appear "squeaky clean" while failing to document serious incidents.

Supporters and some staff countered that public dashboards can improve data quality by focusing attention, enabling audits, and driving training. Max Schachter described Florida's post-Parkland approach, including audits and more frequent reporting, as tools that pushed districts toward more consistent reporting and resources.

The board's formal action: Chair Moss moved that the Utah State Board of Education direct staff to issue a letter supporting the University of Florida and Safe Schools for Alex in applying for the DOJ grant on behalf of Utah and, if the grant is approved, use the funding to establish the interactive dashboard required by House Bill 84 (2024). Brent Strait seconded. The motion passed 12–3. The three no votes were Members Boggess, Klein and Green.

The board and staff also noted next steps and constraints: if the board declines to support the UF/Safe Schools application, USBE staff said the agency would still need to find another way to meet HB 84's dashboard requirement; any in‑house build would require reallocated funds or new appropriations. Staff said the grant period would likely run three years (planning, development, implementation/training) and that the partnership would include on-going USBE review and the ability to modify content to meet Utah law and local needs.

Board members and staff asked for further work on definitions and data quality. Staff said they are already working with LEAs to clarify infraction definitions (to reduce the high use of the category "other") and to improve training and consistency in reporting.

The meeting record: the motion was approved by roll call after discussion. The board adjourned after the vote.