Board adopts paraeducator rule R277‑324 unanimously; staff to follow up on data request

The board voted unanimously to approve R277‑324, the rule on paraprofessional/paraeducator programs, assignments and qualifications, on second and final reading.

Member Carey asked whether the department currently collects data on the total number of paraeducators working in Utah schools. “Do we collect any information on the total number of paraeducators that we have working in the school system? Do we collect that data from our LEAs?” Carey asked. Staff replied that the question could be taken offline and followed up outside the meeting.

Why it matters: R277‑324 governs qualifications and assignments for paraeducators used in Utah public schools. The board indicated the draft removes a reference that no longer exists in code and otherwise presented the draft as a continuation on second and final reading.

Vote and next steps: The motion to approve R277‑324 passed unanimously. Staff noted they would follow up on Carey’s request about statewide paraeducator counts and data collection from local education agencies.

Process details: Board members offered limited substantive debate on the rule; the item moved quickly to a vote after brief clarifying questions.