Utah schools would coordinate deaf and blind student services statewide

USDB would serve as a student's designated local education agency when the placement and school-partnership requirements are met. This covers Utah students younger than 22 who are identified as deaf, blind, or deafblind and referred through an eligible school or early-intervention process. The student's placement team and local education agency must place the student at USDB. The student's local education agency and USDB must agree on academic reporting and monitoring. The student's legal rights, services, placement rules, and safeguards under federal special-education and disability law would remain in force. The local education agency would still be responsible for the student's education. The provisions would take effect July 1, 2026. Beginning July 1, 2027, the student's local education agency would count the student and send USDB 95% of related per-pupil, state, or federal funding.

The state superintendent would appoint and supervise the USDB superintendent with state board approval, while the state board would oversee USDB facilities and its advisory council. The leadership rules apply to USDB. The advisory council would include people who are blind, deaf, or deafblind, parents, and a nonvoting state board member. The state board would set the superintendent's qualifications, employment terms, and duties by rule. Before seeking state funding for facilities, the state board would review local school facilities for possible shared space or joint locations. The state board would review facility requests in a public meeting before sending them to the Legislature. These provisions would take effect July 1, 2026. Facility funding would still require legislative action.

USDB would count students by service type and report student numbers, eligibility, services, and shared service time to the state board. The counts would cover students served by USDB as the designated agency, students supported in their home districts, students receiving services from both systems, and students in other USDB programs. The state board would reconcile the data and ensure that reports are consistent. Nonresident students could receive services under state board rules, but those rules would require tuition payments. A Utah resident who is not deaf, blind, or deafblind could receive services only if state rules allow it and the student meets the age, family, enrollment, and funding conditions. USDB would determine the student counts each year on October 1 and report them annually. These provisions would take effect July 1, 2026.

Schools and districts would notify eligible students about USDB enrichment programs, and districts would provide agreed space for USDB programs when required. The programs serve deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, visually impaired, and deafblind students statewide, whether or not they use another USDB service. A district could notify families itself or give USDB directory information for that purpose. USDB could use directory information only to send program notices, and a parent could opt out at any time. The enrichment programs would be funded from specified permanent funds for USDB. A district identified as having a critical number of USDB students would have to agree to provide property for a USDB facility. These provisions would take effect July 1, 2026. Facility construction would depend on the state board's facilities review and any required funding.