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Utah House adopts bill asking school community councils to review recess-before-lunch guidance
Summary
The House passed the second substitute of HB 440 requiring local school community councils to review U.S. Board of Education model guidance on recess-before-lunch and consider a 20‑minute seated meal goal; the measure includes a voluntary sharing‑table provision and removes a prior written‑assurance requirement. Vote: 50–18.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House on Feb. 23 approved HB 440, a bill that asks local school community councils to review model guidance recommending students have recess before lunch and about 20 minutes to eat, after extended floor debate over teacher authority, administrative burden and student nutrition.
Representative Tiara Auxier, the bill’s sponsor, told the House the second substitute softens earlier language that school officials found restrictive and clarifies the policy is not a mandate but a prompt for local discussion. “It’s just saying, look at that model policy and look at the research around it,” Auxier said on the floor, adding the bill asks community councils to compare existing local policies with the Utah State Board of Education’s model.
Parents and some lawmakers urged action to give children adequate time to eat; Auxier said the Legislature previously funded $5,000,000 to cover the family portion of reduced-price lunch and is considering another $8,000,000. She said the bill also reinstates a sharing-table option — allowing…
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