Insider Intelligence

Legislation was introduced requiring public schools to post certain information publicly for parents to review. Introduced by Representative Annette Glenn (R-Midland), the bill requires schools to post an affirmation of the parental rights provided by state law in administration offices and board hearing rooms. The two passages that would be included in the postings would […]

A retired school employee could return as a substitute teacher after two-months under legislation introduced this week. Introduced by Senator Dale Zorn (R-Ida), the bill reduces the wait time from 12 months to two months, without impacting their retirement benefits. A large portion of schools districts in Michigan are facing challenges when trying to find […]

Schools wouldn’t be allowed to require masks or vaccines not approved by the FDA under a bill package reported by the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee this week. Currently, there are guidelines under which a child may request a waiver from a mask requirement. However, under the bills a parent could simply request their […]

The Muskegon Heights School District has been released from receivership under the Local Financial Stability and Choice Act and dissolved its Receivership Transition Advisory Board (RTAB). Governor Gretchen Whitmer released the district following a recommendation to terminate the receivership from the Muskegon Heights School District RTAB. Effective immediately, the school district regained local control without […]

This week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation distributing federal funding to support schools statewide. The appropriation distributes over $4 billion from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. The funds will be distributed to districts based on their Title 1, Part A allocation. The funds will help meet a range of needs arising from […]

Governor Gretchen Whitmer called on an expansion to the Futures for Frontliners scholarship program to meet increased demand. The tuition-free scholarships would expand to include frontline workers who served between November 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021. With the expansion, upwards of 22,000 additional workers would be eligible to apply, adding to the more than […]

Legislation that would exempt high school graduation ceremonies from current COVID-19 restrictions was approved by the legislature this week. The Senate passed a bill that would exempt the ceremonies from Department of Health and Human Services epidemic orders, which currently have restrictions on the number of people allowed to attend public events based on the […]

The U.S. Department of Education denied Michigan’s request to waive the federal requirement to administer the state summative assessments. The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) requested the waiver due to the disruption to schools caused by COVID-19. According to State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice, part of the reason for the request was to allow teachers […]