Outline of the state of Utah
State
Utah
Required

Category
Professional Development for Trauma

Category
Professional Development for Trauma

State law requires districts to provide professional development for school personnel on trauma-informed practices.

Utah Administrative Code R277-304-3. General Teacher Preparation

Prior to approval by the Board, a teacher preparation program shall:

  • (1) prepare candidates to meet the Utah Effective Teaching Standard in Rule R277-530;
  • (2) prepare candidates to teach:
  • (a) the Utah Core Standard; and
  • (b) the Essential Elements, as appropriate to a candidate's prospective area of licensure as established by the Board;
  • (3) include school-based clinical experiences for a candidate to observe, practice skills, and reflect on teaching that:
  • (a) are significant in number, depth, breadth, and duration;
  • (b) are progressively more complex;
  • (c) occur in multiple schools and classrooms;
  • (d) include working with all types of students; and
  • (e) include creating and consistently implementing beginning of semester or school year classroom procedures and practices;
  • (4) require the demonstration of competency in:
  • (a) content and content-specific pedagogy appropriate for the area of licensure;
  • (b) knowledge of the Utah Educator Professional Standard contained in Rule R277-515;
  • (c) creating effective learning environments by establishing and implementing routines and procedures with consistent expectations;
  • (d) skills in providing tier one and tier two instruction and intervention on the Utah Core Standard and positive behavior supports to each student within a multi-tiered system of supports;
  • (e) integrating technology to support and meaningfully supplement the learning of students, including the effective use of software for personalized learning;
  • (f) designing, administering, and reviewing educational assessments in a meaningful and ethical manner;
  • (g) analyzing formative and summative assessments results to inform and modify instruction;
  • (h) assessing students for competency for the purpose of personalized learning;
  • (i) skills in implementing personalized learning practices that consider the whole child including:
  • (i) trauma-informed instructional practices; and
  • (ii) restorative instructional practices;
Policy Type
Regulation

Utah Administrative Code R277-461-5. Grant Recipient Requirements, Accountability, and Reporting.

(1) A grant recipient shall engage in systemic leadership and planning to align efforts in supporting school improvement and school-based mental health, based on the Utah School Counseling Program Model. (2) Grant funds may only be used to pay for salaries and benefits for qualified personnel. (3) A full-time equivalent (FTE) position who is a qualifying personnel funded by grant funds may not be assigned to more than two schools. (4) Qualifying personnel funded by these grant funds shall:

  • (a) implement a systemic school-based mental health program;
  • (b) participate in USBE trainings;
  • (c) participate in quarterly collaboration meetings with USBE;
  • (d) in accordance with Subsection 53F-5-209(8), participate in trauma-informed modules; and
  • (e) implement data projects. (5) A data project is a process in which qualifying personnel and others:
  • (a) identify a school's needs based on analysis of school data;
  • (b) establish one or more interventions to address the needs or problems identified from the data;
  • (c) design and implement, through a systemic approach, the intervention; and
  • (d) examine and evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, based on the school data. (6) The Superintendent shall establish a process and accompanying forms for grant recipients to document grant requirements, which may include an initial implementation report and a year-end accountability report. (7) A grant recipient shall report its findings and outcomes from a data project to:
  • (a) the school personnel;
  • (b) the local school board or charter governing board; and
  • (c) the Superintendent. (8)(a) If a grant recipient plans to discontinue its program for any reason at any time in the three-year period, the grant recipient shall notify the Superintendent, or the Superintendent's designee, in writing.
  • (b) The written notification shall include a detailed explanation of why the grant recipient is discontinuing the program before the end of its three-year commitment. Utah Office of Administrative Rules
Policy Type
Regulation

Utah Administrative Code R277-613-2. Definitions

(13) "Trauma-Informed Care" means a strengths-based service delivery approach that is grounded in an understanding of and responsiveness to the impact of trauma, that emphasizes physical, psychological, and emotional safety for both the alleged victim and the individual who is alleged to have engaged in prohibited conduct, and that creates opportunities for targets to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment.

Policy Type
Regulation

Utah Administrative Code R277-620-3. Youth suicide prevention grants - LEA reporting requirements.

(1) The Superintendent, in collaboration with the Department of Health - State Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and the State suicide prevention coordinator, shall establish model youth suicide prevention programs for LEAs that include training and resources addressing:

  • (a) prevention of youth suicides;
  • (b) standard response protocols that utilize trauma informed practices, which may reference the ACES or other empirical data;
  • (c) youth suicide intervention; and
  • (d) postvention for family, students, and faculty.

(2) Based on legislative appropriation, the Board shall distribute funds to LEAs to support suicide prevention efforts in the school district or charter school.

  • (a) An LEA may use the awarded funds to select and implement:
  • (i) evidenced-based practices and programs; or
  • (ii) emerging best practices and programs.

(3) An LEA shall implement youth suicide prevention programs for students in secondary grades, including grades 7 through 12 and grade 6, if grade 6 is part of a secondary grade model.

(4) An LEA's youth suicide prevention program shall include the components provided in Subsection 53G-9-702(2).

(5) An LEA shall establish a policy governing the required parent notification outlined in Sections 53G-9-604(2) and 53G-9-605(3)(e) and Subsection R277-613-4.

(6) An LEA shall provide necessary reporting information consistent with Subsection 53G-9-702(7) for the Board's report on the coordination of suicide prevention programs and seminar program implementation to the Legislature's Education Interim Committee.

Policy Type
Regulation

Utah Administrative Code R277-622-3. School-based Mental Health Plan.

(1) To qualify for a School-based Mental Health Qualified Grant, an LEA shall submit a plan to the Superintendent. (2) The plan shall include:

  • (a) a three-year projection for the LEA's goals, metrics, and outcomes;
  • (b) requirements outlined in Subsection 53F-2-415(3);
  • (c) plan for improving access to students who are underserved or at risk;
  • (d) how qualified personnel will increase access to mental health services;
  • (e) a process for utilization of qualified personnel in participating with an LEA's care team as outlined in R277-400;
  • (f) the source of the LEA's matching funds; and
  • (g) a timeline and process for stakeholder training in trauma-informed practices. (3) Except as provided in Subsection (4), an LEA shall submit the LEA's plan no later than May 31 for a funding distribution to be made for the upcoming school year. (4) An LEA shall submit a plan no later than June 7 for a funding distribution to be made in Fiscal Year 20. (5) An LEA's approved plan is valid for three years and may be required to be reapproved after three years of implementation.
Policy Type
Regulation

Utah Code 53F-2-415. Student health and counseling support - Qualifying personnel - Distribution formula - Rulemaking.

(8) Beginning on or before July 1, 2019, the state board shall provide training that instructs school personnel on the impact of childhood trauma on student learning, including information advising educators against practicing medicine, giving a diagnosis, or providing treatment.

Policy Type
Statute

Utah Code 53F-2-519. Appropriation for school nurses.

(2)

  • (a) A school district or charter school that is awarded a grant under this section shall require each school nurse employed by the school district or charter school to complete two hours of continuing nurse education on the emotional and mental health of students.
  • (b) The continuing nurse education described in Subsection (2)(a) shall include training on:
  • (i) the awareness of, screening for, and triaging to appropriate treatment for mental health problems;
  • (ii) trauma-informed care;
  • (iii) signs of mental illness;
  • (iv) alcohol and substance abuse;
  • (v) response to acute mental health crises; and
  • (vi) suicide prevention, including information about the 24-hour availability of the SafeUT Crisis Line established under Section 53B-17-1202.
Policy Type
Statute

Utah Code 53F-5-209. Grants for school-based mental health supports.

(8) Beginning on or before July 1, 2019, the state board shall provide training that instructs educators on the impact of trauma on student learning, including information advising educators against practicing medicine, giving a diagnosis, or providing treatment.

Policy Type
Statute