53G-8-701.8. School safety and security director.

460 words·~2 min read·/ut/title-53g/chapter-8/53g-8-701-8·

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Effective 5/6/2026

(1)Except as provided in Subsection 53G-8-701.5(3) , an LEA shall designate a school safety and security director as the LEA point of contact for the county security chief regarding a school other than the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, local law enforcement, and the state security chief.

(2)A school safety and security director shall:

(a)participate in and satisfy the training requirements as follows:

(i)only once, the training requirements described in Section 53-22-105 for school guardians; and

(ii)the school resource officer and administrator training the state security chief approves in consultation with the School Safety Center;

(b)if serving as a backup school guardian, satisfy all requirements described in 53-22-105 ;

(c)if the designee is an employee of an LEA, participate on the multidisciplinary team the LEA establishes;

(d)coordinate security responses among, if applicable, the following individuals in the LEA that employs the school safety and security director:

(i)school safety and security specialists;

(ii)school resource officers;

(iii)armed school security guards; and

(iv)school guardians; and

(e)collaborate and maintain effective communications with local law enforcement, a county security chief or, regarding the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, the state security chief, the LEA, and school-based behavioral and mental health professionals to ensure adherence with all policies, procedures, protocols, rules, and regulations relating to school safety and security.

(3)A school safety and security director:

(a)does not have authority to act in a law enforcement capacity; and

(b)may, at the LEA that employs the director:

(i)take actions necessary to prevent or abate an active threat; and

(ii)temporarily detain an individual when the school safety and security director has reasonable cause to believe the individual has committed or is about to commit a forcible felony.

(4)Notwithstanding Subsection 76-11-205(4) , if a school safety and security director is carrying a firearm, the school safety and security director shall carry the school safety and security director's firearm in a concealed manner and may not, unless during an active threat, display or open carry a firearm while on school grounds.

(5)A school may use the services of the school safety and security director on a temporary basis to satisfy the school safety personnel requirement of Subsection 53G-8-701.5(2) .

(6)The state security chief shall:

(a)for each school safety and security director, track each school safety and security director by collecting the photograph and the name and contact information for each school safety and security director; and

(b)make the information described in Subsection (6)(a) readily available to each law enforcement agency in the state categorized by LEA.

Amended by Chapter 213 , 2026 General Session