The Utah State Board of Education has unanimously voted to censure board member Natalie Cline.
“The board wanted to take any action that they could to communicate how serious this is,” said board spokesperson Kelsey James. She added the board used its power to discipline a member to its fullest extent.
Cline received swift backlash and calls for her resignation after she posted a picture of a high school student-athlete on Facebook in early February and questioned the student’s gender. Cline took the post down after dozens of people attacked the girl.
The board was in a closed session for 3 hours during its Feb. 14 special meeting. Members of the media waited in an adjacent room and white noise was played over the speakers.
The censure amounts to the board formally disapproving of Cline’s actions and distancing itself from her actions.
Cline did not respond to KUER’s request to comment and did not attend the meeting.
The 14 members also unanimously voted to remove her from all committee assignments, prohibit her from placing items on meeting agendas and from attending board advisory committee meetings.
While they do not have the power to remove Cline entirely, they are asking her to resign immediately.
The censure resolution includes over a page of bylaws the board said she violated and that her actions “appeared to constitute cyberbullying” as defined in state law. It also added that Cline deleted comments that supported the targeted student and “drew attention to the inaccuracies of the post.”
“The post and negative comments resulted in harassment, intimidation, humiliation, and warranted distress to one of the pictured students and her family members,” the resolution states. Additionally, the post caused disruption to the operations of the student’s high school and the Granite School District.
Before voting, multiple board members said Cline had crossed a line.
“Free speech does not grant anyone the liberty to target, intimidate, or harm young students,” Emily Green said. “The safety and dignity of our children must always be a priority. Any action that compromises these should be met with serious scrutiny and accountability.”
There was debate over whether to ask her to resign. Green said that decision should be left up to voters. But a majority believed it was a necessary step.
The board’s actions last until the end of 2024, days before Cline’s term ends. Cline is currently running for re-election.
Just prior to the meeting, Cline posted images of a letter on Facebook that she sent to the board stating the “process is rushed” and is depriving her of her “due process rights.”
She also alleged, in a post on Facebook at 1:39 a.m. that same day, that the scheduled meeting and the complaints against her were election interference.
The board dismissed the interference accusations in their own statement before the meeting. They said the law that Cline cited did not apply to members of the board of education and even if it did, they still would not be violating that law. The timeline they provided said the complaints were made on Feb. 7, outside of any perceived window. Additionally, they noted that the April 13 Salt Lake County GOP Convention that she pointed to is not considered an election under Utah code.
Cline disagreed with the board's response in her second email. And objected to comments board members made before the meeting speaking out against her actions. She said four of them should recuse themselves.
The board has issued several statements denouncing Cline’s social media posts since 2021 and formally reprimanded her. In her recent Facebook posts, Cline said the board has “harassed” her multiple times.
The state board of education is not able to remove Cline from her position, only the Utah Legislature can impeach her. The House of Representatives opened a bill file on Feb. 9 to start the process of potentially taking action against Cline, but since then they’ve been tight-lipped about where they are in that process.
A House spokesperson told KUER that they had no update to share. But they did confirm Speaker of the House Mike Schultz and the House leadership team met with Cline on Feb. 9, but declined to divulge what was discussed.
Senate President Stuart Adams said Senate Republicans have not had any contact with Cline. Minority Leader Luz Escamilla said Senate Democrats sent Cline a letter asking her to resign, but never received a response.
The legislative session ends March 1 and Adams believes they have plenty of time to figure this situation out and how they want to respond. He said they are being “methodical” and looking at all of their options.
The Lt. Governor’s Office declined to comment for this story and referred KUER back to the initial joint statement with Gov. Spencer Cox, saying Cline had “embarrassed” the state, again.
