Law & Licensing Committee delays action on broad code‑of‑conduct draft after hours of questions

The Utah State Board of Education’s Law & Licensing Committee on Oct. 1 paused action on sweeping changes to the Local Education Agency Code of Conduct, citing unanswered questions about definitions, reporting burdens on local education agencies (LEAs) and privacy protections.

Chair Kerry opened the item by saying the draft implements a legislature directive to create a code of conduct for non‑licensed school employees and explained staff had prepared a second draft after public concern about the initial text. "This is designed to protect students," Kerry said, while acknowledging the rule raises complex tradeoffs between safety, local control and administrative burden.

Public commenters framed the stakes differently. Braden, a parent and community member who returned to speak after an earlier appearance, told the committee he had found "anti American sentiment" in some schools and said students sometimes lack access to conservative sources in library collections. "Children can't find access to conservative presidents to do…