R277-515-4. Educator Responsibility for Maintaining a Safe Learning Environment and Educational Standards

  (1) A professional educator maintains a positive and safe learning environment for a student and works toward meeting an educational standard required by law.

  (2)(a) Failure to strictly adhere to this Subsection (2) shall result in licensing discipline in accordance with Rule R277-215.

  (b) The professional educator, upon receiving a Utah educator license:

  (i) shall take prompt and appropriate action to prevent harassment or discriminatory conduct toward a student or school employee that may result in a hostile, intimidating, abusive, offensive, or oppressive learning environment;

  (ii) shall resolve a disciplinary problem according to law, LEA policy, and local building procedures and strictly protect student confidentiality and understand laws relating to student information and records;

  (iii) shall supervise a student appropriately at school and a school-related activity, home or away, consistent with LEA policy and building procedures and the age of the students;

  (iv) shall take action to protect a student from any known condition detrimental to that student's physical health, mental health, safety, or learning;

  (v)(A) shall demonstrate honesty and integrity by strictly adhering to all state and LEA instructions and protocols in managing and administering a standardized test to a student consistent with Section 53E-4-312 and Rule R277-404;

  (B) shall cooperate in good faith with a required student assessment;

  (C) shall submit and include all required student information and assessments, as required by statute and rule; and

  (D) shall attend training and cooperate with assessment training and assessment directives at all levels;

  (vi) may not use or attempt to use an LEA computer or information system in violation of the LEA's acceptable use policy for an employee or access information that may be detrimental to young people or inconsistent with the educator's role model responsibility;

  (vii) may not knowingly possess, while at school or any school-related activity, any pornographic or indecent material in any form;

  (viii) may not knowingly use school equipment to view, create, distribute, or store pornographic or indecent material in any form; and

  (ix) may not knowingly use, view, create, distribute, or store pornographic or indecent material involving children.

  (3) An LEA shall report violations of Subsection (2) to UPPAC.

  (4)(a) Failure to adhere to this Subsection (4) may result in licensing discipline in accordance with Rule R277-215.

  (b) A penalty shall be imposed, most readily, if an educator has received a previous documented warning from the educator's employer.

  (c) A professional educator:

  (i) shall demonstrate respect for a diverse perspective, idea, and opinion and encourage contributions from a broad spectrum of school and community sources, including a community whose heritage language is not English;

  (ii) shall use appropriate language, eschewing profane, foul, offensive, or derogatory comments or language;

  (iii) shall maintain a positive and safe learning environment for a student;

  (iv) shall make appropriate use of technology by:

  (A) involving students in social media responsibly, transparently, and primarily for purposes of teaching and learning per school and district policy;

  (B) maintaining separate professional and personal virtual profiles;

  (C) respecting student privacy on social media; and

  (D) taking appropriate and reasonable measures to maintain confidentiality of student information and education records stored or transmitted through the use of electronic or computer technology;

  (v) shall work toward meeting an educational standard required by law;

  (vi) shall teach the objectives contained in a Core Standard;

  (vii) may not distort or alter subject matter from a Core Standard in a manner inconsistent with the law;

  (viii) shall use instructional time effectively consistent with LEA policy; and

  (ix) shall encourage a student's best effort in an assessment.