SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The opposition is speaking out after the Utah House of Representatives fell short of impeaching Utah School Board member Natalie Cline, a day after the Utah State Board of Education moved forward with censuring her.

“She’s not remorseful. She does feel like she’s the victim and it’s sad. And it’s sad to see some of the people rally around her, to be frank,” Rep. Mike Schutz (R-Hooper) said.

Utah House falls short of impeaching Natalie Cline, censures her instead

The parents of the student Cline posted about initially said this last week has taken a toll on their daughter emotionally on many levels they could never anticipate.

“It’s not the resolution we were hoping for, but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ll wait and see if Ms. Cline follows through with what her peers on the State Board, the governor, members of the house, and thousands of parents recommend she does and resigns,” the parents said.

Parents in support of Cline said removing her would be too harsh a punishment, as it would remove who they feel speaks for them.

Marissa Anderson, a parent in the Alpine School District, said her biggest fear is the lack of transparency in education.

“For the Board to impeach and strip Ms. Cline of all her positions and committees really feels like they don’t want transparency,” Anderson said.

Kim Chandler, a board member on the Granite School District, voted against the resolution this week in support of Cline.

“I voted against the resolution to condemn Natalie Cline because I do not believe it is ethical for elected representatives such as myself to participate in the character assassination of other public officials simply because we may disagree with a mistake they made or an action they took,” Chandler said. “When any elected official in the state of Utah is sworn into office, that official’s oath of office consists of a pledge to support, obey, and defend the Constitution. It is the only oath they take. And our Constitution guarantees the right of impartial due process to all. What has been happening across this state over the past week appears to be a coordinated mob effort to punish someone they despise, without impartial due process. In addition, while the easier road for me to take would be to fall in line with the majority, I cannot do that because I know the result of these public censures against Natalie will be a chill on free speech for other public representatives who wish to stand on principle. I wish to leave a record that I stand on principle and support others who do the same.”

The parents of the student Cline posted about also said the state and our children deserve to be represented by people who we can trust; that don’t undermine and bully children.

Utah lawmakers, political leaders, and advocacy groups have pressured Cline to resign from her seat. As of today, Cline has not shown intention of doing so.

ABC4 has reached out to Cline for comment, and has not heard back.

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