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Senate narrows school-safety bill after heated debate over fingerprint database and alleged offenses
Summary
After contentious floor debate over access to criminal and sealed records and whether alleged offenses should trigger alerts, the Senate removed a proposed fingerprint "database" section from House Bill 364 (Safety in Public Schools) and passed the bill as amended, 18–10. Supporters said the bill improves access for professional-practice investigations; critics warned of unfair consequences for teachers based on allegations rather than convictions.
The Senate on March 3 adopted an amended House Bill 364 that provides the State Board of Education and the Utah Professional Practice Advisory Commission access to FBI fingerprint checks and certain court records to aid investigations of educator misconduct, but the chamber voted to delete a separate provision that would have required a standing fingerprint file and automatic notification on alleged offenses.
Senator…
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