Gov. Spencer Cox has signed two of this legislative session’s most controversial bills.
The first bill rolls back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in government and public institutions. It effectively prohibits diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs.
Park City School District Spokesperson Heidi Matthews said the bill has ambiguities that make it difficult to know what will happen within primary and secondary schools.
“It says that K-12 schools are prohibited from targeting programs at groups that are identified by race, ethnicity, that kind of thing," she said. "But then there's also an exception in it about federally protected groups, which is part of what we're going to have to really clarify.”
She said the district has worked to identify underperforming and underrepresented students to create programs to support them. In Park City, underrepresented students have often been identified as Hispanic and Matthews said the district will have to work to understand the intentions of the law and how it relates to those programs.
The second bill Cox signed into law requires people in public and government-funded facilities to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their assigned sex at birth, which could negatively impact trans people. The legislation requires schools and trans students to create “privacy plans” to use other facilities.
Critics have said this could “out” students and some kids who spoke to lawmakers said they are worried this could increase violence against them.
Matthews said the students’ well-being will be at the heart of any decisions made relating to privacy plans.
“The important aspect of this bill, and for our students and our parents to know, is the level of commitment that we have had in our district for giving our students a sense of security and belonging and privacy,” she said.
In the meantime, Matthews said she’s watching for an amendment to a voucher bill passed last year. The Utah Fits All scholarship program provides 5,000 K-12 students with up to $8,000 for the 2024-25 school year. The money can be used for private school tuition and fees, tutoring and more.
Money comes from public school funds and critics say it will financially harm public education.
Now, Utah lawmakers are asking for another $108 million for the program, bringing it up to $150 million, though the taxpayer-funded program hasn’t started yet.
Utah’s 2024 legislative session ends March 1.
