HB 4225 requires public schools serving grades 6-12 to include a 24/7 suicide prevention hotline number and contact information for Michigan's OK2SAY program (a confidential student safety reporting system) on student identification cards starting July 1, 2026. Nonpublic schools serving the same grades are encouraged to do the same. The bill amends Michigan's "Save our Students Act" to mandate this inclusion, ensuring students have immediate access to mental health resources and safety reporting tools. It applies to all public school districts, public school academies, and intermediate school districts, with liability protections for schools that comply.
HB 4258 creates a statewide 24/7 hotline for the Michigan State Police to receive public reports about threats of self-harm, sexual abuse, assault, or violence targeting school students, staff, or schools. It requires the State Police to notify affected schools and local law enforcement within 24 hours of receiving such reports. The bill also mandates that existing school violence hotlines be disconnected within six months of the new hotline's launch and includes requirements for mental health resource referrals and staff training. This law directly affects schools, law enforcement, and students by establishing a standardized system for reporting and responding to school safety threats.
HB 4259 amends the Student Safety Act by updating key definitions to clarify the law's scope. It specifies that "school" includes all public, private, denominational, and parochial schools serving kindergarten through 12th grade, and "school property" covers buildings, fields, and school buses. The bill also defines the "hotline" as a statewide system for reporting safety concerns via phone, text, or online. These changes ensure consistent application of the Student Safety Act for all schools and safety reports. The bill requires concurrent passage of HB 4258 to take effect.
HB 4315 requires Michigan's Department of State Police and its Office of School Safety to develop and provide annual training materials for school personnel on school safety. The bill mandates specific training for: school resource officers (including position-specific training and legal updates), crisis response teams (covering target hardening and emergency response), all school staff (on threat reporting and the OK2Say safety tip line), and school security personnel (clarifying their legal authority). All training materials must be made publicly available on the Office of School Safety website. The bill directly affects school staff, resource officers, and security personnel across Michigan public and nonpublic schools.
HB 4222 requires Michigan public school districts, intermediate school districts, public school academies, and nonpublic schools to develop and update emergency operations plans every three years (starting July 1, 2026) in collaboration with local law enforcement. These plans must address specific safety scenarios like violence, fire, intruders, weather emergencies, mental health training, building security, and crisis response protocols. Schools must adopt plans with public input and notify the state education department within 30 days of adoption or updates, with all plan details kept confidential under state law. The department will track compliance and notify non-compliant schools, ensuring consistent safety planning across all school buildings.
HB 4238 prohibits Michigan public schools from entering agreements or accepting grants from specific "foreign countries of concern" (including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria) that would control curriculum, restrict school contracting freedom, or promote agendas harmful to U.S. security. Schools must share cultural exchange agreements with federal security agencies before signing, and federal agencies can block agreements deemed threatening. The law also bans accepting any value conditioned on promoting a foreign country's language or culture. It directly affects all Michigan public schools participating in international programs with the listed countries.
HB 4239, the "foreign influence of state institutions of higher education act," prohibits Michigan public colleges and universities from entering agreements or accepting grants from specific "foreign countries of concern" (including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria) if those arrangements control curriculum, threaten U.S. security, or restrict contracting freedom. It requires all gifts from foreign sources to be formalized through written agreements and mandates reporting of certain gifts to state officials. The law also bars accepting items of value conditioned on promoting a foreign country's language or culture and requires cultural exchange agreements with listed countries to be reviewed by U.S. federal agencies for national security risks. These provisions directly affect all 15 Michigan public universities and community colleges.
HB 4159 requires Michigan public school districts to provide a core academic curriculum aligned with state-developed standards for all students. It specifically mandates that history standards for grades 8-12 include learning objectives on genocide (including the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide), and that reading/writing standards for K-6 must use evidence-based "science of reading" methods focusing on phonics, decoding, and structured literacy. The bill also prohibits curriculum content that includes non-essential values or beliefs, and requires assessments to measure academic skills - not student attitudes. School districts must fully adopt these K-6 standards by the 2026-2027 school year.
HB 4147 creates a dedicated "school consolidation and infrastructure fund" within Michigan's state school aid budget to support feasibility studies for consolidating administrative and service functions across school districts. It allocates $5 million for grants (up to $250,000 per district) to analyze opportunities in shared services like payroll, IT systems, facility management, food services, and transportation. Districts receiving grants must publicly share study results within 60 days and demonstrate plans for potential consolidation. The fund’s money remains available year-to-year without lapsing, but the bill does not fund actual consolidation - only the preliminary studies.
HB 4154 amends Michigan's Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act to explicitly include trade schools as eligible institutions for high school students to take college-level courses at reduced cost. This change directly affects Michigan high school students who want to enroll in career-focused programs at trade schools, allowing them to access the same tuition support previously available only at community colleges and universities. The bill updates the definition of "eligible postsecondary institution" to specifically list trade schools, without altering existing rules about course limits, fees, or student eligibility. This clarifies that trade schools can now participate in the program, expanding educational pathways for students seeking vocational training.
