The most common reasons Utah educators were disciplined over the past 9 years: USBE data

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Did you know that the Utah State Board of Education has a publicly available spreadsheet disclosing why educators in the Beehive State have been disciplined, and — in some cases — had their teaching licenses revoked?

The spreadsheet is called the “UPPAC Disciplinary Matrix” — with UPPAC standing for Utah Professional Practices Advisory Commission — and includes disciplinary information dating back to 2015. However, some disciplinary actions were taken several years after the reported incidents occurred. Here’s a breakdown of what the spreadsheet says about the reasons Utah’s educators have been disciplined:

It is worth noting that some cases were filed under more than one disciplinary code — but since these cases appeared on the UPPAC’s spreadsheets for each applicable violation, they are also represented in more than one category in the interactive chart above. For example, if a case number was listed on the spreadsheets for both sexual activity with a student and grooming, that case is represented in both segments on the chart above.

What do teachers get disciplined for?

There are 18 violations referenced on the spreadsheet, five of which relate to sexual activity or other inappropriate actions (including grooming and sharing “inappropriate material” with students). Other violations relate to drugs and alcohol, mismanagement of finances or documents, violence, and more.

In the Disciplinary Matrix, some violations are grouped together. The USBE combined the 18 violations into the following groups (in the order of how they appear in the matrix):

• Sexual Activity with Student (SS) and Sexual Activity with non-Student (SN)
• Sexual Harassment (SH)
• Boundary violation with student (BV)
• Grooming (GR)
• Inappropriate Material (PO)
• Drugs/Alcohol not on School Grounds (DA)
• Drugs/Alcohol on School Grounds (ASG)
• Financial Mismanagement (TF), Documentation Mismanagement (DF), and Testing Protocol Violation (TP)
• Violence with non-student (VI) and violence with student (VIS)
• Insubordination (IN) and Other — Employment Practices (OE)
• Other — Student Related (OS)
• Other — Moral/ Ethical Conduct (OM)

Actions taken by the USBE include the revocation of a license, “voluntary permanent surrender,” suspension, reprimands, or letters of warning/admonishment/education. On its website, the USBE offers educators links to forms to request the reinstatement of a license, as well as a form to request the removal a reprimand flag.

What are the numbers?

According to the latest data (which was last updated in December 2024), most disciplinary actions taken against teachers related to violence against students or violence against non-students. There were 168 cases that resulted in nearly 90 warning letters being sent, 17 “letters of education” being sent, and at least one license being revoked, among other actions.

The second most common category was “Boundary violation with student” with 122 reported cases. A boundary violation includes “soliciting or encouraging an inappropriate relationship” with a student or minor, including flirting, inappropriate comments, or “excessive communication,” the USBE explains.

Within the boundary violation category, nearly 40 licenses were suspended for periods between one to five years. Three licenses were revoked over boundary violations, and 18 were voluntarily surrendered.

There were 61 cases where educators were disciplined for sexual activity with a student or sexual activity with a non-student; 42 cases involving inappropriate material (searching for, viewing, or accessing “sexually explicit materials in any format”); 23 cases involving sexual harassment; and 11 cases involving grooming. Some cases were classified under more than one violation category related to sexual activity or materials.

For complete data, check the UPPAC Disciplinary Matrix.

How does Utah address these issues?

The USBE said students’ safety and well-being are “top priority.”

“To support this, USBE maintains a closely-monitored Public Education Hotline for reporting concerns from educators, parents, employees, and other stakeholders,” a spokesperson for USBE told ABC4.com. “Reports are addressed promptly, and our website includes guidance on how and where to report for the fastest response.”

The USBE provides information on who to contact with concerns “related to any of the agencies governed by or provided resources by the USBE.” For emergencies, Utahns are encouraged to contact local law enforcement, the SafeUT Crisis Hotline at 833-372-3388, or the Division of Child and Family Services at 855-323-3237.

For non-emergency concerns, the USBE has a flow chart online to help people determine the proper course of action to take. There is also a form online to report a concern to the USBE’s Internal Audit Department. The USBE said it maintains the confidentiality of those reporting any concerns.

The USBE has resources available online that discuss the fostering of safe environments for students, and reducing the risks of things like child abuse, bullying, human trafficking, and substance use, among others.

Additionally, every three years, local education agencies in Utah are required to train educational staff and parents on how to recognize the signs of human trafficking and sex crimes.

Matthew Drachman contributed to this report.