The Law & Licensing Committee did not adopt a final version of proposed amendments to R277‑123, the rule governing public reporting of alleged violations and audit hotlines for Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Committee members debated two staff‑draft options and asked staff to return with further revisions.

USBE Director of Law and Professional Practices Ben Rasmussen and Chief Audit Executive Debbie Davis presented two draft approaches for R277‑123. Draft 2 preserves local control by keeping LEA hotlines and adding clarifications; Draft 3 restores an option for LEAs to defer hotline calls to the state public education hotline and removes several provisions that LEAs had objected to. Davis told the committee the drafts represent a spectrum from local control (draft 2) to more state‑level handling (draft 3), and she emphasized that the state hotline receives a wide range of concerns, some of which may implicate other state agencies or mandatory reporter obligations.

Committee debate was extensive. Board Member Lear and others voiced concern that certain draft language would allow unverified allegations to be broadly disseminated to multiple LEA employees and board members, potentially damaging careers and reputations. Members also said the proposed rule might be perceived by LEAs as micromanaging local operations and could overwhelm small districts. Supporters argued the state hotline can help constituents navigate large district reporting chains and that requiring notice to local superintendents preserves accountability.

Several members proposed middle‑ground approaches (for example, requiring that the referral be sent to the superintendent and two governing board members rather than an extensive list of recipients and placing the decision of internal distribution with the LEA). The committee tried an initial motion to direct staff to update Draft 3 to protect confidentiality and address parent concerns; the motion resulted in a tie and failed. Later, after additional amendments and debate, the committee voted unanimously to postpone action on R277‑123 and directed staff to continue incorporating field feedback; staff will return to the Law & Licensing Committee in December with revised language.

Committee members requested additional information about metrics (for example, how often required notices were provided to board members after the rule took effect) and urged clearer confidentiality language. Chief Audit Executive Davis and staff said USBE handles all complaints it receives, logs them, and refers matters as appropriate (for example, to DCFS for child‑abuse allegations or to other licensing agencies when applicable).