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November 13, 2026

Board Weighs Future Calendar Options, Parent Device Monitoring, and Student Mental Health Pathways

Riverview PTA president Jennifer Clark shares report with the board

[Full Board Meeting Materials are Located Here; Picture Caption: Jennifer Clark (Riverview PTA) shares her school’s activities.]

The Murray City School District Board of Education reviewed major policy updates on student internet monitoring, school safety, and future academic calendars during its Nov. 12 regular meeting, while also approving new digital literacy waiver plans and behavioral support frameworks for the coming year.

Seventh-grade Riverview Junior High student Damon Clark opened the meeting by leading the Pledge of Allegiance, sharing with the board that he appreciates having more class options and better lunches in junior high than in elementary school. The board subsequently approved its consent agenda, which included prior meeting minutes, financial reports, and a second and final reading of instructional materials recommended by the Sex Education Committee.

Parent Device Monitoring and AI Rules Ahead

Superintendent Jennifer Covington presented a comprehensive first-reading overhaul of Policy PS 405, the district’s Internet and Electronic Device Acceptable Use Policy, designed to align district rules with updated state code.

Under the proposed update, the district will launch a parent-accessible monitoring system—currently in beta testing and expected to go live within weeks—allowing parents to review their student's browsing activity on district-issued devices over a rolling two-week window. Technology Coordinator Jason Eyre is scheduled to demonstrate the system at next week's board study session.

The policy also establishes a protocol allowing parents to request a stricter "whitelisted" content filter that restricts their student’s district device solely to pre-approved educational websites. During discussion, board members and Superintendent Covington noted that enrollment in concurrent enrollment college courses—such as math classes hosted through Salt Lake Community College’s Canvas platform—would supersede local whitelist restrictions because the district cannot alter college credit requirements.

In response to a board inquiry regarding artificial intelligence, Covington confirmed that the district will develop a dedicated AI policy and a balanced technology policy in January and February once the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) releases its required state model policies in December.

2028-2029 School Calendar Options Split Community

Director of Student Services and Human Resources Darren Dean presented a first reading of two proposed 177-day calendars for the 2028-2029 school year, alongside results from a community survey that drew more than 1,000 responses from parents, teachers, and staff:

  • Calendar A (Early Start): Teachers return Aug. 3, classes begin Aug. 14, and the school year concludes before Memorial Day. It received 47% of the survey vote.

  • Calendar B (Late Start): Classes begin Aug. 23 and run through June 1. It received 53% of the survey vote.

Both drafts maintain a two-week winter break, fall and Thanksgiving breaks, and a one-week spring break shifted into April. Covington noted that scheduling high school graduation remains a logistical factor, as Utah Valley University—the district's graduation venue—will not accept bookings beyond the 2027-2028 school year until Utah County school districts finalize their dates. The board will review neighboring district schedules at next week’s study session before voting on final adoption at its Dec. 10 meeting.

New Clinical Pathway Proposed for School Social Workers

Prevention Coordinator Sierra Marsh updated the board on a developing initiative to establish an internal clinical therapy track for district social workers. Currently, district social workers provide short-term, solution-focused counseling, while students needing ongoing clinical diagnosis and treatment are referred to external partners.

Under updated rules from the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), the district’s three Certified Social Workers (CSWs) cannot count their school hours toward full Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) credentials unless their job descriptions explicitly include clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Marsh proposed allowing district social workers to take on a limited clinical caseload of three to five unfunded students at a time—with explicit parental consent and mandatory parent updates within one business day of each session—to help retain and license staff while reducing the roughly $24,000 the district spent last year subsidizing external therapy.

Board members voiced support for the concept while questioning district liability—which Marsh confirmed is covered under state risk management—and urging careful caseload caps so elementary and secondary social workers are not overwhelmed.

Additional Board Actions and Updates

  • Digital Literacy Waiver: The board unanimously authorized Director of Secondary Education Dr. Bruce Eschler to apply for a USBE waiver to move the state-required digital literacy course from eighth grade down to sixth grade. Eschler said the shift aligns with district grade reconfigurations and updated state technology rules under HB 273, giving incoming sixth graders foundational keyboarding and computer application skills earlier.

  • Positive Behavior Support Plans: On a second and final reading, the board unanimously approved the 2026-2027 Positive Behavior Support Plans, which outline school-level behavioral programs and student resources and will be posted on all school websites.

  • School Guardian Policy (SP 916): Director of Support Services Scott Taggart presented a first reading of a new policy codifying state school safety mandates. Every school must have a school resource officer, armed security, or a trained, vetted volunteer "school guardian" whose identity remains strictly confidential under state misdemeanor laws. Taggart noted the Murray City Police Department conducts the district's guardian training.

  • Bond Construction Progress: Taggart reported that the Murray High School addition is on schedule with furniture installation and third-floor finishes underway. At Riverview Junior High, commons flooring is complete, north-side asphalt paving is progressing, and crews are preparing to excavate the auditorium floor to complete ceiling work. Construction on the APEX Center is ahead of schedule, with footings, underground utilities, and the building slab poured.

  • Horizon Elementary TSSA Funds: The board approved a School LAND Trust/TSSA amendment allowing Horizon Elementary to spend $51,000 in rollover funds on additional paraprofessional support ($30,000), grade-level lead teacher stipends for its dual-immersion program, non-screen classroom supplies and manipulatives, and rotating substitute coverage ($1,000) so teachers can attend IEP meetings.

  • District Investments (BU 707): Business Administrator Brian Ipson introduced a first reading of a new investment policy authorizing him to diversify district reserve funds beyond the Public Treasurers' Investment Fund in strict compliance with the Utah Money Management Act, prioritizing principal safety, liquidity, and yield.

  • MHS Field House Exploration: Under Board Business, the board passed a motion authorizing the Murray High School Field House Exploratory Committee to continue researching options for a potential field house on school property.

Community and Foundation Highlights

  • Early Literacy & Angel Tree: Murray Education Foundation Executive Director Doug Perry announced that the Foundation board approved launching Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Murray, which provides a free book every month to registered children from birth to age five, with outreach supported by Intermountain Health pediatric offices. Perry also invited families to the annual Angel Tree kickoff event at 6 p.m. Friday (Nov. 13) at Fashion Place Mall.

  • Riverview PTSA Updates: Riverview PTA President Jennifer Clark shared that the group is inviting student representatives to monthly meetings, funding "Claw Card" student reward incentives, and preparing for the school spelling bee and science fair—led this year by new coordinator Chela Gale. She also reminded parents that scanning grocery receipts through the digital Box Tops app directly raises funds for district schools.

  • Board Reflections: During board reports, members congratulated newly elected and returning board members and state legislators, encouraged residents to communicate with incoming lawmakers about school capacity before adding new mandates, noted a recent seasonal dip in student attendance due to community illness, and thanked schools for their Veterans Day programs.

The board will review several of this month's first-reading items—including the 2028-2029 calendar options and parent device monitoring system—at next week's study session ahead of final votes at its Dec. 10 regular meeting.