Bills on school safety await final approval from Michigan lawmakers

(CBS DETROIT)The final ratification of a number of laws by Michigan lawmakers is still pending, including ones that were submitted more than three years ago in the wake of the shooting at Oxford High School.

The set of bills would, among other things, mandate greater mental health assistance for pupils and more stringent protocols for handling emergencies at schools.

During testimony last week, state representative Kelly Breen stated, “In the event of an emergency, we want to make sure that everyone is on the same page, that everyone is using the same terminology, and that there are no mixups.”

The bill package also mandates that schools develop a protocol for assessing behavioral threats.

“Oxford had a threat assessment policy; it was not implemented, and we’ve seen the horrible results of that,” Breen added.

Late last week, the House Education Committee decided to send the proposals to the entire House. Following calls from activists for school safety and survivors of gun violence for the legislature to move the legislation, there has been some movement on the bills.

Thomas Morgan, a representative for the Michigan Education Association, stated, “We are strongly supportive of tying together school safety and student mental health because the two really are inseparable.”

However, several politicians contended that because clergy people are not regarded as mental health specialists, religious schools are not included in the package of proposals. Before the final vote, Tim Schmig of the Michigan Association of Christian Schools would like to see that amended.

“So number one, everybody is in favor of school safety,” Schmig stated. “We believe that a pastor who would be on site, a youth pastor or someone that the parents have entrusted their kids with, should be qualified to be a counselor, not necessarily a mental health professional provided by the state.”

Donni Steele, a Republican state representative, says she would vote to pass the bill even though she would have preferred to see a larger package that addresses even more school safety concerns.

“I think that we should have paid more attention to safety, kids, schools and less on politics,” she stated.

Later this week, the whole Michigan House will review and vote on the bundle of bills.

After covering Michigan’s capital for two years, Elle Meyers joined the CBS News Detroit staff in April 2023. Born in Oregon, Elle graduated from the University of Oregon (go Ducks!) with a double major in political science and journalism, two subjects that have helped her along the way to Detroit.

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