The Utah State Board of Education Law & Licensing Committee voted unanimously to approve an interagency data‑sharing agreement with the Utah Department of Workforce Services and forward it to the full board for approval.

The agreement, identified in committee materials as USBE250012IAA, would allow USBE to share student data about pupils already identified as eligible for free or reduced‑price school meals with DWS so the agency can determine eligibility for the federal Summer EBT program, which provides food benefits to children when school is not in session. Director Ben Rasmussen introduced the item and said an almost identical agreement had been approved earlier in the year but was brought back after the legislature did not fund the program for summer 2024.

Committee members focused on privacy safeguards and the minimum data needed for DWS to confirm eligibility. Board member Lear and others asked whether the agreement would permit sharing with organizations beyond DWS; USBE staff said federal guidance uses the term “EBT agencies” generally but that, for Utah, sharing will be limited to DWS. Kate Marley (USBE Child Nutrition Program) clarified a separate USDA memo on online fees for meal purchases (effective in school year 2027–28) was distinct from the Summer EBT agreement.

Staff described technical protections: a limited set of data elements would be shared and DWS personnel would receive time‑limited accounts for USBE’s SSID lookup tool so DWS can check applications submitted during the summer (for example, in cases where Community Eligibility Provision schools do not collect free/reduced applications). USBE staff said the same privacy protocols that apply to the bulk eligibility dataset would govern the lookup access.

After questions and staff clarifications, the committee chair called for a motion. A committee member moved to approve USBE250012IAA and forward it to the board; committee discussion ended and the motion carried unanimously.

The agreement will next appear for consideration by the full Utah State Board of Education. The committee record shows staff told members they had limited the data elements to those strictly necessary for eligibility verification and that parents can opt out of having their child’s data shared for this program if they so choose.

Notes: The committee’s discussion repeatedly separated the technical privacy protections (data minimization, time‑limited SSID access) from policy questions such as legislative funding of the Summer EBT benefit; staff said funding is determined by the legislature and federal funding streams.