Granite School District schools will need security glass on exterior entry windows by 2035 under a new Utah law aimed at keeping attackers out of classrooms.
The law requires security glazing or ballistic windows on certain exterior windows near entryways and on interior windows at classroom entrances, KUTV reported. Schools in Wasatch Front counties face a 2035 deadline for exterior entry windows. Other counties and classroom windows statewide have until 2040.
New buildings must comply immediately.
State Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Weber County, who chairs the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee, said he brought together school and security experts to shape the approach after the 2022 tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. Wilcox said he and other lawmakers received almost 7,000 calls and emails from parents across the state asking whether Utah schools are safe.
"As a father I didn't know the answer, as a legislator I certainly didn't know the answer, but as the law enforcement chair for the state I felt like I needed to find out," Wilcox said, according to KUTV.
According to KUTV's reporting, urgency grew after a gunman in Bend, Oregon, shot through glass in October and killed three students and a teacher. At a recent legislative hearing, Wilcox said lawmakers bear some responsibility if they wait too long, and he pushed for schools to move faster than the deadlines require.
"The deadline is not the standard," he said.
Most schools not yet compliant
State Security Chief Matt Pennington reported that 8% of Utah schools had the correct security glass in place at the end of the last school year. He said the extended timeline gives schools a chance to plan and pay for changes while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, but he described the deadlines as less than ideal. Pennington said he would like to see ongoing funding to help local education agencies move at a quicker pace.
Granite District already investing in security
Recent Granite School District board agendas show security spending is underway. At its May 5 meeting, the board's consent items included purchases for security indicator locks, security upgrades at Hartvigsen School and exterior camera installation at 13 schools. The July 7 amended agenda listed perimeter security upgrades at multiple locations and security guard services at Hunter High School.
The glazing law is one piece of a broader push. A separate state program requires all Utah public schools to equip staff with wearable panic devices by July 1, 2027, according to KUTV. Utah's School Safety and Security Task Force authorized up to $19.5 million in December 2025 for safety needs including panic devices and first-aid bleeding-control kits.
Lawmakers are also examining how schools handle threat assessments. At an Oct. 21 interim committee hearing, Wilcox called inconsistent threat assessments "one of the last gaping holes" in school safety, according to KUTV. Lawmakers plan to continue those discussions during the 2027 legislative session.
