Wasatch County school board OKs $130,000 land buy for Deer Creek High turn lanes

The Wasatch County School District Board of Education voted 4-0 on Sept. 24 to approve a $130,000 real property purchase agreement for two parcels needed for UDOT-required improvements to SR-113 near Deer Creek High School, according to the meeting minutes. Vice President Cory Holmes was excused. The meeting notice is dated Sept. 18. ^[1][2]

Operations Director Shawn Kelly told the board the purchase will let the project widen and extend turn lanes. He said it will provide two turn lanes into Deer Creek High School and a through lane toward Heber City, addressing a current bottleneck, and that completion is expected in the spring because of UDOT's seasonal paving requirements. Board member Breanne Dedrickson noted the road work is a UDOT requirement tied to the school project, and Kelly said MTECH is sharing in the cost of the roadway improvements. President Kim Dickerson moved the motion and thanked attorney Jared Anderson for helping negotiate the acquisition. ^[1]

The board also approved, each 4-0, a $17,990 two-way radio system for Deer Creek High School from Macintosh Communications and a $10,905 replacement circulation pump for the Wasatch Aquatic Center from Wasatch Aquatic Specialties. A third 4-0 vote approved a $51,017.25 lightly used wheelchair-accessible van for the district's Special Education Transition College. Kelly said the van, a 2024 Chrysler Voyager with fewer than 20,000 miles, costs about $17,000 less than the amount in the capital budget. Maintenance Supervisor Zach Bredsguard said the aquatic center pump is about 10 years old, has been rebuilt several times and is leaking. ^[1]

On policy, the board approved the general Complaint Policy, which Director of Student Services Dr. Eric Campbell said provides a process for complaints not covered by specific policies or legal requirements; bullying and Title IX complaints keep their own procedures. It also approved the FY2026 Fraud Risk Assessment, which Business Administrator Dr. Jason Watt said found strong financial safeguards but identified two areas to address, CPA-level expertise on the management team and required board member training, and the framework schools will use to develop plans under the Teacher and Student Success Program. ^[1]

In a study session the board discussed a proposed Student Conduct and Discipline Policy, including a revised dress code that moves away from specific clothing measurements, and continued reviewing the student cell phone policy. Administrators said the current policy complies with state law and that middle schools generally keep stricter classroom procedures than high schools. Kelly noted that a districtwide phone pouch system had been estimated at about $200,000. Superintendent Dr. Garrick Peterson said administrators have not received widespread concerns, though enforcement varies among classrooms, and the board agreed to gather information through an educator survey and available discipline and academic data before considering changes. ^[1]

The board also heard from the Transportation Department, which operates 108 daily routes carrying about 2,500 students with 48 drivers and 12 aides. Peterson reported that about 93 percent of students complete at least one Launch experience, such as early college or work-based learning, before graduating. The board's Oct. 22 agenda listed the Sept. 24 minutes for approval and a study session on Utah's SB 241 early literacy law, and a special Oct. 29 study session on capital planning was scheduled. ^[3][4]