Uintah School Board approves bullying policy, personnel changes and sale of district lot

Uintah School District Board of Education members on Jan. 8 approved several procedural and governance items, including a revised bullying and hazing policy, a real estate sale and personnel actions, all by unanimous votes.

The board voted to adopt Policy 007.0230 (bullying and hazing) on second reading after district staff explained edits intended to align the policy with recent Safe Schools revisions. The changes add definitions, clarify labels such as “victim” and “respondent/claimant,” and include disciplinary language for people who record or share incidents of bullying, according to materials presented to the board. A motion to approve the policy on second reading passed unanimously.

The board also approved a real estate purchase contract to sell a 1.03-acre lot at 1119 North 25100 West in Vernal to Mazer Water District for $77,902.50. Board members entered a strategy session on the sale in the work session and later returned to the public meeting to approve the contract. That motion passed unanimously.

Separately, the board approved a package of personnel changes that included five new hires for open positions, two reassignments of current employees and three extracurricular hire recommendations. The administration reported it had collected letters of intent from staff and is offering a $500 incentive for employees who agree to finish the contract year and provide early notice of resignation; the board voted to approve the personnel report unanimously.

The consent calendar — including minutes from Dec. 11, 2024, and the monthly financial update — was approved in a single unanimous vote.

Votes at a glance
- Policy 007.0230 (bullying and hazing): Motion to approve on second reading — outcome: approved unanimously (yes: 5, no: 0).
- Real estate sale (1119 North 25100 West to Mazer Water District): Motion to approve purchase contract for $77,902.50 — outcome: approved unanimously (yes: 5, no: 0).
- Personnel changes (staff hires, reassignments, extracurricular hires): Motion to approve personnel report — outcome: approved unanimously (yes: 5, no: 0).
- Consent calendar (minutes and monthly financial update): Motion to approve consent calendar — outcome: approved unanimously (yes: 5, no: 0).

Context and next steps
Board members said the policy changes were meant to keep the district aligned with its Safe Schools work and clarified training expectations are included. School leadership noted the personnel report will inform hiring and budget planning for the coming year. The approved property sale was discussed in closed session as a real-estate strategy matter; the public motion implementing the sale was made in open session.