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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed legislation on school safety that was introduced after a deadly shooting that killed four students at Oxford High School but took lawmakers more than three years to approve.
The bills Whitmer signed Wednesday were among 19 that are focused on making public schools, homes, and communities safer, she said. The school-related bills would require schools to have a behavior threat assessment and management team, create a new state commission on school safety and mental health, and add new rules to make sure schools are able to respond effectively to safety threats.
“Each of these bills build on my administration’s commitment to protecting Michiganders and their families,” Whitmer said in a news release.
The Michigan legislature gave final approval to the bills during its lame duck session in December.
Other education-related bills approved during the lame duck session and signed last week by Whitmer require Michigan charter schools to publicly post average teacher salaries and schools to allow Indigenous students to wear traditional regalia to graduation ceremonies.
Whitmer’s signatures were praised by a group that pushes for school safety reform, but they said the fight isn’t over.
“Although Lansing’s incoming political landscape will pose new challenges for us, we’re not going anywhere,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “The state has seen what is possible when it comes to addressing this crisis, and our Michigan moms and students are in it for the long haul.”
The school safety laws will:
- Require every public school to have a behavior threat assessment and management team that would monitor students for concerning behavior. Students identified as struggling will receive a plan for support.
- Require the Michigan State Police to create standardized terminology for use during school emergencies. All schools and districts in the state would also be required to adopt that terminology, which supporters say would create less confusion during crises.
- Require the MSP to make training available to schools on how to use threat assessment materials.
- Makes school threat assessment teams responsible for educating the school community about the warning signs indicating someone might pose a threat of physical violence.
- Mandate that the Michigan Office of School Safety notify district emergency and safety managers of any tips regarding potential threats to schools in its system as soon as possible or within 24 hours. Local law enforcement would also have to be notified within that time frame.
- Create a permanent School Safety and Mental Health Commission in the Michigan State Police department. The existing commission, which was created in 2022, focuses mostly on physical security threats. That commission will be phased out for a new one that will include education, school safety, and mental health experts.
Whitmer also issued an executive order Wednesday related to the School Safety and Mental Health Commission aimed at ensuring the group includes critical viewpoints and voices. The executive order requires that the commission include:
- One member who is a prosecutor.
- The director of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.
Her order also gives voting rights on the commission to ex officio members of the board, including the directors of the Michigan State Police, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, MiLEAP, and Michigan Department of Education.
Chalkbeat Detroit reporter Hannah Dellinger contributed reporting.
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.
