R277-515-1. Authority and Purpose

  (1) This rule is authorized by:

  (a) Utah Constitution Article X, Section 3, which vests the general control and supervision of the public schools in the Board;

  (b) Subsection 53E-3-501(1)(a), which directs the Board to make rules regarding the certification of educators;

  (c) Title 53E, Chapter 6, Educator Licensing and Professional Practices Act, which provides all laws related to educator licensing and professional practices; and

  (d) Subsection 53E-3-401(4), which allows the Board to make rules to execute the Board's duties and responsibilities under the Utah Constitution and state law.

  (2) The purpose of this rule is to:

  (a) establish statewide standards for public school educators that provide notice to educators and prospective educators and notice and protection to public school students and parents;

  (b) recognize that licensed public school educators are professionals and, as such, should share common professional standards, expectations, and role model responsibilities; and

  (c) distinguish behavior for which educators shall receive license discipline from behavior that all Utah educators should aspire to and for which license discipline shall be initiated only in egregious circumstances or following a pattern of offenses.