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Lawmakers hear RFA for two‑year pilot to address extreme classroom behaviors with wellness rooms and paid interns
Summary
Representative Thompson and a Utah State University licensed clinical social worker proposed a two‑year pilot to reduce disruptive nonviolent behaviors in classrooms by funding wellness room paraprofessionals, paid social‑work interns and teacher micro‑credentials; witnesses cited wellness‑room data showing large reductions in office referrals.
Representative Jason Thompson introduced an RFA to the Higher Education Appropriation Subcommittee on Jan. 26 seeking a two‑year pilot to address chronic absenteeism and extreme but nonviolent disruptive behaviors in Utah classrooms.
Thompson framed extreme behaviors as nonviolent but highly disruptive actions, including sustained inattention, dysregulation and incidents that can require classroom evacuation, seclusion or restraint. He said the pilot would test upstream, school‑based interventions with clear performance metrics.
Professor Tammy Curtis, a licensed clinical social worker from Utah State University, described the proposed multi‑tier model: a wellness-room paraprofessional at every school as a universal (tier‑1) support to teach self‑regulation; paid school social-work interns to run tier‑2 skills groups and provide more intensive support; and data‑driven referral paths for tier‑3 and tier‑4 services. Curtis said wellness-room data show that after students use the room, about 80% are self‑regulated and ready to return to class, and that some schools have seen an 80% decrease in office referrals and in some cases elimination of seclusion and restraint incidents.
Committee members welcomed the proposal but pressed on scale and staffing. Representative Wilcox argued that if the claimed 80% reductions are typical, the pilot might warrant broader or statewide implementation rather than a small pilot. Senator Riebe and others asked whether paraprofessionals should be supported as full‑time equivalents (FTEs) and emphasized the need for family and community wraparound services to sustain results. Curtis and Thompson agreed that the model’s effectiveness depends on multiple tiers of support, properly trained staff and strong family engagement.
No appropriation vote was taken; the RFA was presented for committee consideration.
What’s next: The subcommittee may request additional fiscal detail and scalability analysis before deciding whether to fund a pilot or propose broader appropriations.
