POLISCOPE
Back to bills
Part ofEducation →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.
SB 181UTAHSession 2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Utah establishes minimum safety and structural standards for school seclusion rooms

Original title: School Discipline Amendments

Last action · March 19, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Luz Escamilla and 2 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Does

Utah enacts new physical, lighting, ventilation, and monitoring standards for school rooms starting July 1, 2026. The legislation applies strict sizing, construction, and audio-video recording mandates to both new construction and existing facilities while limiting seclusion use to 30-minute maximum increments under active staff supervision.

Why it matters

Local education agencies must retrofit or report on existing rooms to meet specific square-footage, ceiling-height, and material requirements or face state board corrective actions and potential unlawful detention penalties.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Public and private school students

Students are subject to newly mandated physical safety standards, audio and video recording, and strict time limits when emergency seclusion is used.

Directly affected

Local Education Agencies

LEAs must inspect, report on, and potentially retrofit seclusion rooms to meet physical and operational standards by December 31, 2026.

Directly affected

School employees

Staff authorized to use emergency safety interventions must follow strict documentation, supervision, and time-limitation rules.

Directly affected

Parents and guardians

Parents must be notified immediately and within 15 minutes of any emergency safety intervention and are granted access to related seclusion records and video.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the physical dimension requirements for a school seclusion room?
A room must have a minimum interior area of 60 square feet, at least six feet between opposing walls, and a ceiling height of no less than eight feet.
How long can a student be placed in seclusion?
is time-limited to a maximum of 30 minutes. If a parent cannot be reached after 15 minutes and the time limit is reached, a reassessment can be conducted to place the student back in seclusion for an additional period not exceeding 30 minutes if the threat continues.
Who has access to the audio and video recordings of a seclusion room?
Access is strictly limited to school administrators conducting investigations, parents or guardians of the secluded student, individuals authorized under privacy laws, and law enforcement when required by law or court order.
When must local education agencies report their seclusion room compliance to the state board?
Local education agencies operating or planning to construct a room must report room locations, compliance status, and compliance timelines to the state board by December 31, 2026.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

59 actions
  1. Mar 19, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolled
    Governor Signed
  2. Mar 13, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to Governor
  3. Mar 13, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
  4. Mar 12, 2026Senate
    Senate/ enrolled bill to Printing
  5. Mar 12, 2026Senate Secretary
    Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
  6. Mar 11, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 53 earlier actions
  1. Mar 11, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling
  2. Mar 11, 2026Senate
    Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
  3. Mar 11, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  4. Mar 7, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  5. Mar 7, 2026House
    House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
  6. Mar 7, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  7. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House
  8. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ concurs with House amendment
  9. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on Concurrence Calendar
  10. Mar 6, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  11. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  12. Mar 6, 2026HouseFloor
    House/ passed 3rd reading
  13. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ floor amendment
  14. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ substituted
  15. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ 3rd reading
  16. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ 2nd reading
  17. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar
  18. Mar 5, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0181S03
  19. Mar 5, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0181S03
  20. Mar 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0181S03
  21. Mar 5, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0181S03
  22. Mar 2, 2026House
    House/ return to Rules due to fiscal impact
  23. Mar 2, 2026House
    House/ committee report favorable
  24. Feb 27, 2026House
    House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  25. Feb 26, 2026HouseCommittee
    House/ to standing committee
  26. Feb 25, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  27. Feb 25, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  28. Feb 25, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House
  29. Feb 25, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 3rd reading
  30. Feb 25, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 3rd reading
  31. Feb 25, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0181S02
  32. Feb 24, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0181S02
  33. Feb 24, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 2nd reading
  34. Feb 24, 2026Senate
    Senate/ substituted
  35. Feb 24, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 2nd reading
  36. Feb 23, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0181S02
  37. Feb 23, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0181S02
  38. Feb 17, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for SB0181S01
  39. Feb 17, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
  40. Feb 17, 2026Senate
    Senate/ comm rpt/ substituted
  41. Feb 13, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0181S01
  42. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  43. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Substitute Recommendation
  44. Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0181S01
  45. Feb 10, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0181S01
  46. Jan 27, 2026SenateCommittee
    Senate/ to standing committee
  47. Jan 27, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for SB0181
  48. Jan 22, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  49. Jan 22, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received bill from Legislative Research
  50. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for SB0181
  51. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for SB0181
  52. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  53. Jan 22, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill Numbered but not Distributed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Luz EscamillaSenate · District 10DemocraticPrimary sponsor
Jason ThompsonHouse · District 3RepublicanCosponsor
Jason ThompsonHouse · District 3RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift99% confidence

Standardization of Seclusion Infrastructure

The legislation transitions seclusion rooms from generalized administrative guidance to highly specific statutory physical, technical, and reporting mandates.

State Board of Education

Connected Entities

State Board of Education, Division of Child and Family Services, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and 1 more
OrganizationState Board of Education“Adopts rules for safety standards, compliance verification, and program administ”Map →
OrganizationDivision of Child and Family Services“Maintains violation reports under confidentiality requirements.”Map →
otherFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act“Federal privacy law governing student records and seclusion recordings.”Map →
OrganizationUtah Professional Practices Advisory Commission“Receives referrals for violations of seclusion or physical restraint standards.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy45
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record