HB 502: School Attendance Modifications - Utah

Substitute #3 → Substitute #4 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill introduces a new opt-out provision allowing parents to request that their students be excluded from citizenship grading, which previously required all students to participate. While the bill retains the core requirements for statewide citizenship standards and attendance-based grading, it adds a specific mechanism for parents to decline these non-academic evaluations, with the consequence that opted-out students become ineligible for the new citizenship scholarship program.

Scope change

The bill's scope of applicability for citizenship grading remains the same for all students, but it now includes a new eligibility exception: students who opt out of citizenship grading are no longer eligible for the scholarship program.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new subsection allowing parents to request an opt-out for their student from receiving a citizenship grade.

Added an eligibility restriction stating that students who opt out of citizenship grading are not eligible for the citizenship scholarship program.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to annually notify parents of the opt-out option and establish a procedure for submitting such requests.

Removed the specific language regarding 'individualized attendance plans' from the highlighted provisions, though the underlying section text remains largely intact.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a requirement that students who opt out of citizenship grading must receive grades based solely on academic content mastery.

Substitute #2 → Substitute #3 · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill introduces a new 'citizenship grade' to measure college readiness skills like attendance and participation, establishes a test-out option for core classes to allow students to earn credit without attending, and creates a scholarship program funded by voluntary tax contributions. It also updates welfare check procedures for chronically absent students and modifies the parent portal to include more resources. The bill repeals individualized attendance plans, requiring all students to follow standard attendance-based grading rules instead.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of grading by adding a new citizenship component and creates a new pathway for students to graduate without taking certain core classes. It also broadens the scope of student welfare checks to include mandatory referrals for students absent for 10+ days without parental notification.

REQUIREMENT

Created a new 'citizenship grade' system requiring LEAs to adopt policies defining skills like attendance, deadline adherence, and participation as part of college readiness.

Established a 'test-out' option allowing students in grades 9-12 to demonstrate proficiency in core classes without enrolling or attending the course.

Repealed the ability for LEAs to create individualized attendance plans, mandating that all students be subject to standard attendance-based grading policies.

FISCAL

Created the 'Citizenship Scholarship Fund' funded by voluntary contributions on income tax returns to award scholarships to students with high citizenship grades.

ENFORCEMENT

Modified welfare check requirements to mandate a referral to law enforcement or child services if a student is absent for 10+ consecutive days and parents fail to notify the school.

TECHNICAL

Updated the parent portal requirements to include specific resources for bullying, discrimination, and military families.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date for most provisions to May 6, 2026, with citizenship grading and test-out options beginning in the 2027-2028 school year.

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill substitutes a new version of HB 502 that maintains the core goal of standardizing citizenship grades and attendance policies but significantly alters the implementation timeline and specific requirements. The new version delays the start of citizenship grading and test-out options from the 2026-2027 school year to the 2027-2028 school year. It also removes the ability for schools to create individualized attendance plans as an alternative to attendance-based grading and clarifies that students who test out of core classes are exempt from attendance penalties. Additionally, the welfare check referral process is expanded to include referrals to law enforcement or child services after a failed initial check.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on school attendance and grading, but the applicability of new citizenship grading standards and test-out options is delayed by one year. The scope of welfare checks is expanded to allow for law enforcement involvement.

TIMELINE

The implementation of citizenship grading standards and test-out options for core classes is delayed from the 2026-2027 school year to the 2027-2028 school year.

REQUIREMENT

The provision allowing Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to use individualized attendance plans as an alternative to attendance-based grading has been removed.

The requirement for LEAs to adopt citizenship grading standards is now tied specifically to participation in the citizenship scholarship program, rather than being a standalone mandate for all schools.

ENFORCEMENT

The student welfare check process now explicitly allows LEAs to refer cases to local law enforcement or the Division of Child and Family Services if an initial check fails to resolve safety concerns or contact the family.

ELIGIBILITY

Students who earn credit through the new test-out option are now explicitly exempt from any attendance-based grading penalties.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'intervention' in the attendance section was slightly modified to emphasize 'increasingly frequent' activities and added specific examples like mentorship and executive function skills.

Amended 2/26/2026 19:02:70 → Substitute #1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add a new Section 53G-6-214 requiring LEAs to refer students for welfare checks under specific conditions and to remove the repeal of individualized attendance plans. Additionally, the citizenship grading standards were modified to explicitly require attendance as a component, exclude students with valid excuses from these grades, and allow LEAs to implement them alongside attendance-based grading.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include a mandatory student welfare check referral requirement and modified the applicability of citizenship grading standards to exclude students with valid excuses.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for LEAs to refer students for welfare checks under specified conditions.

Removed the provision that repealed individualized attendance plans for attendance-based grading.

Clarified that LEAs may implement citizenship grading standards in addition to or as part of attendance-based grading policies.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified citizenship grading standards to explicitly require attendance as a component and exclude students with valid excuses from these grades.

Amended Excerpts 2/26/2026 19:02:70 → Amended 2/26/2026 19:02:70 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reformatted to include a full title and summary of provisions, while the substantive text was modified to clarify that students using test-out options are exempt from attendance-based grading. The changes also shift the authority for test-out options from a mandatory requirement to a permissive option for local school districts.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly include citizenship grading standards and scholarship program requirements, and the applicability of attendance rules was modified to create exemptions for students utilizing test-out options.

SCOPE

Added new sections establishing citizenship grading standards and a scholarship program funded by voluntary tax contributions.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement for local school districts to offer test-out options from mandatory ('shall') to permissive ('may').

ENFORCEMENT

Added an exemption stating that students earning credit through test-out options are not subject to attendance-based grading policies.

TECHNICAL

Replaced fragmented line-by-line amendment notes with a complete, structured bill text including long title, general description, and specific statutory sections.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 2/26/2026 19:02:70 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill introduces new requirements for schools to implement standardized citizenship grades and attendance-based grading, while also creating a test-out option for core subjects. It establishes a scholarship program funded by voluntary tax contributions for students with exemplary citizenship records. The amendments clarify that students opting out of citizenship grading cannot receive the scholarship and specify how attendance affects grades for those who do not use the test-out option.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of school grading policies by mandating statewide standards for citizenship and attendance, and it creates a new funding mechanism through tax contributions for a specific scholarship program.

REQUIREMENT

Requires local school boards to adopt standardized citizenship grading policies that evaluate skills like attendance, meeting deadlines, and class participation.

Establishes a test-out option allowing high school students to earn credit for core classes without attending them, provided they meet specific proficiency standards.

Clarifies that students who enroll in a core class instead of using the test-out option must comply with attendance-based grading policies.

Updates tax code provisions to allow the removal of certain voluntary contribution designations if they generate less than $30,000 annually for three consecutive years.

ELIGIBILITY

Creates a new citizenship scholarship program for higher education, but explicitly excludes students who opt out of receiving citizenship grades.

FISCAL

Creates the Citizenship Scholarship Fund, funded by voluntary contributions on income tax returns, to distribute scholarships to eligible students.

Introduced → Enrolled · 6 edits · Mar 19, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten to replace a mandatory citizenship grading system with an optional one, allowing parents to opt out if they prefer. The test-out option for core classes was narrowed to apply only to grades 9-12 instead of 7-12. Additionally, the bill now explicitly includes an opt-out mechanism for citizenship grades and clarifies that students who opt out are ineligible for the associated scholarship.

Scope change

The scope of the test-out option was reduced from grades 7-12 to grades 9-12. The citizenship grading requirement changed from mandatory for all students to optional for parents.

ELIGIBILITY

The test-out option for core classes is now limited to students in grades 9 through 12, removing eligibility for grades 7 and 8.

Students who opt out of citizenship grading are explicitly ineligible for the citizenship scholarship program.

REQUIREMENT

LEAs must now annually notify parents of the option to opt their child out of citizenship grading and establish a procedure for submitting such requests.

The requirement for LEAs to incorporate attendance into citizenship grades was removed; instead, LEAs may add beyond state standards but must provide an opt-out.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'citizenship grade' was changed to reflect 'college and career readiness' rather than character traits and civic responsibility.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the citizenship grading policy adoption was changed from the 2027-2028 school year to May 6, 2026.

School Attendance Modifications

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