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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This resolution censures Utah State Board of Education member Natalie Cline.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This resolution:
13 ▸ recognizes the constitutional duties of a member of the Utah State Board of
14 Education (USBE) and that a member swears to discharge those duties with fidelity;
15 ▸ acknowledges that USBE bylaws require a member of USBE to treat students with
16 dignity and respect each student's privacy;
17 ▸ strongly condemns USBE member Natalie Cline's social media post questioning a
18 student's gender, which exposed the student to relentless harassment and bullying,
19 including threats of violence; and
20 ▸ censures board member Cline for her conduct.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
25 WHEREAS, under Utah Constitution Article X, Sec. 3, "general control and
26 supervision of the public education system [is] vested in [the] State Board of Education";
27 WHEREAS, members of the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) hold a position of
28 public trust and are charged with supporting and advocating for Utah students;
29 WHEREAS, in November 2020, Natalie Cline was elected to the USBE, and in January
30 2021, board member Cline swore a constitutional oath that she would "discharge the duties of
31 [her] office with fidelity";
32 WHEREAS, under state law, the USBE is charged with adopting rules and setting
33 expectations for local schools to provide safe and civil school environments where students are
34 treated with dignity and respect and bullying is not tolerated;
35 WHEREAS, USBE bylaw, Article IV, states, "[w]hile Members [of the USBE] have
36 the right to freedom of expression, members shall respect the privacy of students, USBE
37 employees, [local school district] employees, and school level employees, including refraining
38 from direct and indirect identification of such, in a negative light in any public setting, venue,
39 or platform where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy" and those bylaws set
40 expectations that members communicate with the public in an ethical and civil manner;
41 WHEREAS, on February 6, 2024, board member Cline posted a student athlete's photo
42 on social media, thereby revealing the student's identity, and reprehensibly questioned the
43 student's gender publicly and without evidence;
44 WHEREAS, board member Cline's abhorrent actions caused the student emotional
45 harm and exposed the student to relentless harassment and bullying, including threats of
46 violence that created a need for additional security at the student's school;
47 WHEREAS, board member Cline's bullying and failure to treat a student with dignity
48 and respect undermine the mission of the USBE and displays a selfish indifference to her
49 sworn oath to discharge her board member duties with fidelity; and
50 WHEREAS, board member Cline's actions on February 6 violate the moral and ethical
51 standards expected of an elected official, particularly one charged with the duty to support our
52 children in public education:
53 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
54 Governor concurring therein, condemns and denounces board member Cline's repugnant attack
55 on a student in the strongest possible terms and finds such behavior irreconcilable with the
56 responsibilities of a Utah State Board of Education member.
57 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor
58 concurring therein, hereby formally censures board member Cline for her conduct.
59 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to board member
60 Cline and the USBE and be recorded on the pages of the House and Senate journals.