AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.

Utah's Student Achievement Backpack is an existing electronic system that gives students, parents, and school staff a single view of a student's academic information, including grades, attendance, test scores, and transcripts. This bill would restructure how that system works, requiring that student records remain stored only in the school district's or state's original data systems rather than being copied into a separate database, with the Backpack instead functioning as a secure "view-only" window into that existing data. It would expand who can see this information to include the student themselves (not just parents and staff) and, in some cases, state or local policymakers, while also broadening the required data categories to include things like IEP and 504 plan status, reading levels, attendance alerts, course progress, and postsecondary or college credit information. The bill would require the State Board of Education to select a vendor through the state's standard purchasing process and have the system fully operational statewide by July 1, 2027, when the law would take effect, and it clarifies that student data remains the property of the local school district, which alone is responsible for correcting any errors.