The Utah Education Association opposes a bill that would allow an educator whose license has been suspended by the Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission (UPPAC) to return to the classroom.
“As a mother, I would find it very concerning if I learned that an educator had their license suspended and was back coaching my daughter a week later. I find that shocking,” testified Kass Harstad, mother and attorney who has represented educators with UPPAC for 15 years.
S.B. 312 Educator License Amendments, sponsored by Sen. John Johnson (R-Morgan, Summit, and Weber Counties), passed the Senate Education Committee on a 4-1 vote with a favorable recommendation.
“You wouldn’t want a driver with a suspended license on the road,” said UEA President Renée Pinkney. “Why should an educator with a suspended license go back to a classroom?”
UEA believes the bill undermines the credibility and effectiveness of the commission’s process by diminishing the significance of a suspension. Currently, less serious infractions result in a letter of warning or a letter of reprimand. More serious infractions can result in a license suspension.
“Suspension and revocation are a very serious discipline for a very serious misconduct,” Harstad testified during the committee hearing on February 25.
Right now, a complaint alleging the educator's conduct is filed and thoroughly investigated. If the evidence supports further action, the case is presented to an eleven-member panel of teachers, administrators, and community members. The panel then makes a recommendation to the Utah State Board of Education, which can approve license suspension or impose an alternative form of discipline.
“The bill would create exemptions in certain suspension cases. However, a suspension is a suspension, regardless of the violation, because it is based on the severity of the misconduct. If an infraction were not serious misconduct, it would not result in a suspension,” said UEA Director of Campaigns and Elections Bonnie Billings.
“The current process is fair, works as intended, and prioritizes student safety. HB 312 risks undermining that by blurring the meaning and consequences of a suspension.”
Educator and UEA member Sen. Kathleen Riebe (D-Salt Lake County) voted against the bill, which is scheduled for a full Senate vote.
