Senate passes bill to give parents access to students’ school-device activity; some senators cite unfunded mandate concerns

The Utah State Senate on the floor approved Senate Bill 88, a measure to require local education agencies to provide parents with a portal showing which websites students access and how much time they spend on school-provided devices. The bill passed the Senate 21–6, with two absent, and will be transmitted to the House.

Senator Fillmore, the bill’s floor presenter, said the measure is meant to increase transparency and parental access and that it responds to a school-boards association request for a portal that allows parents to see activity rather than a restricted whitelist approach. “It’s a really a transparency and access bill that would require local education agencies to provide parents with a portal so they could see what websites their kids are visiting,” Fillmore said.

Senator Reby said she supported the policy goal but opposed the bill because its fiscal note is zero and she viewed it as an unfunded mandate. “This is one of the examples of how we are increasingly asking our schools to do more with no money,” Reby said, adding that local governments are already under fiscal pressure from increased property taxes.

Floor action followed the presentation and debate; the roll-call recorded 21 yeas and six nays. The Senate will now forward S.B. 88 to the House for consideration. The transcript shows disagreements centered on implementation costs and whether districts have funds or capacity to build and operate the required portals.