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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill requires a school employee to complete education ethics training.
10 Highlighted Provisions:
11 This bill:
12 ▸ defines terms;
13 ▸ requires a local education agency (LEA) or private school to require new employees
14 and certain new volunteers to complete an approved education ethics training course
15 within one year of the day on which the employee or volunteer begins working at
16 the LEA;
17 ▸ requires an LEA or private school to require employees and ceratin volunteers to
18 complete approved education ethics training on an ongoing basis; and
19 ▸ provides for an LEA or private school to 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
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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 or private school in accordance with Subsection (2); 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 (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.
45 (d) "School employee" means:
46 (i) an employee of an LEA or private school; 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.
49 (2) An LEA or private school shall approve at least one education ethics training
50 course that a school employee of the LEA or private school may take to meet the requirements
51 described in Subsection (3).
52 (3) Except as provided in Subsection (4), an LEA or private school 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 or private school may exempt a school employee who worked at another
60 LEA or private school from the requirement described in Subsection (3)(a) if the employee
61 fulfilled that requirement at the previous LEA or private school.
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