Committee advances three school-safety bills covering funding, cybersecurity and personnel standards
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Summary
Committee passed a trio of school-security measures: a funding formula for school safety grants and training reimbursement, statewide cybersecurity standards and coordination, and personnel standards for school guardians and panic-alert devices; members asked for fiscal clarifications for LEAs.
The committee considered three linked bills from the School Safety Task Force and moved all three forward as committee bills.
Jeff Van Holten outlined the first bill as a funding formula for any future school-safety appropriation: it allocates funds to local education agencies (LEAs) and charter schools based on enrollment percentages, with a 20/80 split within the charter-share distribution and a 10% set‑aside from the top to reimburse LEAs for training costs that local law enforcement currently sometimes front. The sponsor said the formula is intended to ensure the state covers training costs rather than leaving them with county law enforcement.
A second draft establishes cybersecurity standards for school districts and charter schools, drawing from recommendations by the Utah Technology Council/Commission and existing regionally used practices. The standards include multifactor authentication, endpoint protections, staff cybersecurity training, data-breach coordination with the Utah Cyber Center and coordination with the Utah Education Telehealth Network (UETN). Presenters said much of the proposed work reflects baseline security practices and that the fiscal note will be prepared by LFA as needed.
The final bill updates school-security personnel rules: it allows county security chiefs to contract with qualified private trainers, shifts $500 guardian stipend administration to the State Board of Education, requires panic-alert devices for guardians and lead teachers (drawing on prior "Alyssa's Law" provisions), clarifies guardians must carry weapons while on duty, outlines protocols if a guardian uses deadly force, and adds minimum visitor‑management requirements.
Committee members repeatedly asked about LEA consultation and fiscal impacts. Van Holten said the standards were developed with input from IT directors and that the bills are not intended to be unfunded mandates; he suggested the earlier funding formula would be used to reimburse local costs. The measures passed out of committee on voice votes after proponents said they would continue coordination to refine fiscal details.