This document includes House Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 8:16 PM by jeyring.
This document includes Senate Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Tue, Mar 10, 2015 at 7:06 PM by cmillar.
1     
EDUCATION ETHICS TRAINING REQUIREMENT

2     
2015 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Joel K. Briscoe

5     
Senate Sponsor: Brian E. Shiozawa

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill requires Ĥ→ [a school employee] certain school employees ←Ĥ to complete
9a     education ethics training.
10     Highlighted Provisions:
11          This bill:
12          ▸     defines terms;
13          ▸     requires a local education agency (LEA) Ĥ→ [or private school] Ŝ→ [and certain private
13a     schools] ←Ŝ ←Ĥ to require new employees
14     Ĥ→ [and certain new volunteers] ←Ĥ to complete an approved education ethics training course
15     within one year of the day on which the employee Ĥ→ [or volunteer] ←Ĥ begins working at
16     the LEA;
17          ▸     requires an LEA Ĥ→ [or private school] Ŝ→ [and certain private schools] ←Ŝ ←Ĥ to
17a     require
17a     employees Ĥ→ [and ceratin volunteers] ←Ĥ to
18     complete approved education ethics training on an ongoing basis; and
19          ▸     provides for an LEA Ĥ→ [or private school] Ŝ→ [and certain private schools] ←Ŝ
19a1      ←Ĥ to
19a     approve certain education ethics training
20     courses.
21     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
22          None
23     Other Special Clauses:
24          None
25     Utah Code Sections Affected:
26     ENACTS:
27          53A-3-410.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
28     

29     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
30          Section 1. Section 53A-3-410.5 is enacted to read:
31          53A-3-410.5. Education ethics training requirement.
32          (1) As used in this section:
33          (a) "Approved education ethics training" means an education ethics course that:
34          (i) meets the education ethics training requirements described in Subsection (5);
35          (ii) is approved by an LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ in accordance with Subsection (2);
35a     and
36          (iii) is offered online or in person.
37          (b) "Local Education Agency" or "LEA" means:
38          (i) a school district;
39          (ii) a charter school; or
40          (iii) the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
41          Ŝ→ [(c) "Private school" means a school that:
42          (i) is not part of the public education system; and
43          (ii) enrolls scholarship students under Chapter 1a, Part 7, Carson Smith Scholarships
44     for Students with Special Needs Act.] ←Ŝ
45          Ŝ→ [(d)] (c) ←Ŝ "School employee" means Ĥ→ [:
46          (i)] ←Ĥ an employee of an LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ Ĥ→ [; or
47          (ii) a volunteer for an LEA or private school who has significant unsupervised access
48     to a student in connection with the volunteer's assignment] ←Ĥ .
49          (2) An LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ shall approve at least one education ethics training
50     course that a school employee of the LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ may take to meet the
50a     requirements
51     described in Subsection (3).
52          (3) Except as provided in Subsection (4), an LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ shall require a
53     school employee to complete:
54          (a) one hour of approved education ethics training within one year after the day on
55     which the school employee begins employment; and
56          (b) two hours of approved education ethics training once every five years after the day
57     on which the school employee begins employment.
58          (4) (a) An employee hired before July 1, 2015, is not subject to Subsection (3)(a).
59          (b) An LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ may exempt a school employee who worked at
59a     another
60     LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ from the requirement described in Subsection (3)(a) if the
60a     employee
61     fulfilled that requirement at the previous LEA Ŝ→ [or private school] ←Ŝ .
62          (5) An LEA may approve an education ethics training course if:
63          (a) the education ethics training course covers one or more of the following topics:
64          (i) appropriate boundaries between a school employee and a student, a parent of a
65     student, or a colleague;
66          (ii) appropriate use of social media for a school employee;
67          (iii) general school employee rights and responsibilities related to ethics, including
68     state regulations and best practices; or
69          (iv) the Utah Educator Standards, described in State Board of Education rule; and
70          (b) one of the following entities offers the education ethics training course:
71          (i) the State Board of Education;
72          (ii) a private entity with significant experience or training in ethics best practices for
73     school employees;
74          (iii) a university or college pre-service teacher training program;
75          (iv) an LEA; or
76          (v) an education employee association.




Legislative Review Note
     as of 2-19-15 3:18 PM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel