State board adopts LRBI technical manual and rule R277-609 after extended debate and targeted amendments

The Utah State Board of Education voted to adopt the Least Restrictive Behavioral Interventions (LRBI) Technical Assistance Manual (Draft 3) and approve rule R277-609 on final reading after extensive debate and multiple amendments.

Board members spent more than an hour on the LRBI manual, discussing terminology changes, classroom-facing language, and operational provisions. Member Lear (board member) said many local educators “recognize that this is just playing with words” and told the board districts will continue using the language they train with, such as “trauma informed” and “restorative practices.”

The dispute over terminology produced a separate amendment offered by Vice Chair Wood to retain the term “coercion cycle” rather than replace it with “power struggle.” The motion to restore “coercion cycle” failed 7–7 (tie counted as failure in that vote), and the body ultimately approved the proposed changes to Draft 3 with supplementary revisions attributed to Member Boggess. That motion to adopt the LRBI manual as amended passed in board votes reported during the meeting: the manual was approved on final reading 10 in favor, 4 in opposition.

During discussion the board also approved several related, specific amendments. Member Davis successfully moved that local education agencies (LEAs) be required to document Section 504 plans in writing and “distribute all documents to the students, parents, and relevant teachers and service providers.” That amendment passed 13–1. The board also directed staff to implement grammar and formatting corrections listed in the meeting backup materials; that directive passed 10–4. A separate motion to require that the LRBI manual be proofread by three board members before publication failed 10–4.

Board staff, represented in remarks by Leah Voorhees, deputy superintendent for student achievement, said staff had collaborated with about half the board on the language and that the changes were “livable” for staff even if not every stylistic choice was preferred.

On the rule side, Member Boggess moved that the board adopt a working draft (Draft 3) of R277-609 to use as the operative text for finalization. After additional procedural votes and an amendment process the board approved R277-609 on final reading; the rule passed on final reading with an 11–2 vote in favor. Member Bollinger proposed, and the board considered, but did not adopt, an amendment to add optional evaluation methods such as school climate surveys.

Board members who opposed parts of the package raised concerns that some edits shifted familiar classroom terms and asked that staff and the field be able to keep using the operational language they train with. Supporters emphasized that the substantive content — the document’s guidance on behavior intervention and safety — had been preserved and that the amendments clarified implementation expectations.

The board concluded the LRBI discussion by sending the manual and rule forward as amended; staff will incorporate the formatting and grammar corrections specified in the backup materials before final publication.

Ending: The board’s approval completes the board-level review and sends the LRBI manual and the R277-609 rule forward as the official guidance to LEAs, with specific new board directives about documentation of 504 plans and technical edits to the manual.