Senate Bill 206 encourages Michigan public schools to provide instruction on organ, eye, and tissue donation. By January 1, 2026, the state's Department of Education may develop a model presentation on this topic, including information about the Michigan organ donor registry. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, school boards are encouraged to provide this presentation to students before they complete 9th grade. Parents or legal guardians can request to excuse their child from attending the presentation without penalty.
House Bill 4155 requires the Department to publish a list of recommended curriculum companies and assessment companies for use by K-12 public schools. By April 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the Department must make these lists available to school districts, intermediate school districts, and public school academies. Recommended curriculum companies must offer programs aligning with state academic standards, provide evidence of effectiveness, and include provisions for accessibility and professional development. Similarly, recommended assessment companies must provide various assessments meeting state and federal requirements. It is important to note that schools are not mandated to use any of the companies or curricula on these recommended lists.
Senate Bill 295 requires Michigan public schools to provide water safety instruction to students. By the 2026-2027 school year, school districts and public school academies must offer age- and grade-appropriate water safety lessons, covering topics like safe behaviors in and around water and the importance of CPR, as part of physical education. The Department of Education will develop a model program for this instruction. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services will create a multilingual informational notice on water safety, which schools must distribute annually to parents and post online beginning October 2026. This bill aims to enhance water safety education for students across Michigan.
SB 377 amends Michigan's high school graduation requirements under the Revised School Code. It requires students to complete specific credit bundles, including 4 math credits (with new flexibility to fulfill some through career-technical education programs like computer science or engineering), 3 social science credits (covering U.S. history, world history, economics, and civics), and visual arts/performing arts credits. The bill directly affects all Michigan public high school students seeking diplomas by changing their course requirements. Key mechanisms include allowing career-technical education programs to count toward math credits and specifying exact social science course requirements.
HB 4687 requires all Michigan public school districts and public school academies to incorporate one unit of age-appropriate Black history and one unit of Indigenous People history into their history curriculum starting in the 2027-2028 school year. The bill mandates coverage of historical contributions, discriminatory policies, and civil rights advancements by these communities, while requiring instructional materials to align with state standards and include input from cultural centers and experts. Schools must ensure this instruction is inclusive for all students, including those with disabilities and English language learners, and avoid any bias or discrimination. The law allows flexibility for schools to integrate these units into existing lesson plans rather than creating new courses.
SB 453 requires Michigan public school districts, intermediate districts, and public school academies to include one unit of age- and grade-appropriate Black history instruction in their history curriculum starting in the 2027-2028 school year. This instruction must cover Black contributions to U.S. society, the history of Black communities in Michigan and the Midwest (including discriminatory policies), and civil rights advancements. The bill also mandates a similar unit of Indigenous People history instruction with identical content requirements. The superintendent of public instruction must develop guidelines with input from cultural centers and scholars, and all instruction must be inclusive and non-discriminatory for all students.
SB 454 creates a Cultural History Advisory Board within Michigan's Department of Education. The board, appointed by the superintendent of public instruction, must include 16 members representing specific cultural communities (Asian-American/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic, Black, Middle Eastern/North African/Chaldean, Indigenous, Caribbean-American, Jewish-American, European-American) plus educators, school administrators, labor representatives, and higher education experts. The board must develop curriculum recommendations and professional development resources for K-12 schools on teaching the history of these cultural groups, with a deadline of two years after all members are appointed. This bill directly affects Michigan public schools by establishing a new body to guide inclusive history education resources.
HB 4020 creates a temporary commission to update African-American history curriculum for Michigan K-12 schools. The commission, appointed by the governor and including university representatives, NAACP, and museum staff, must review current standards within 365 days and recommend age-appropriate instruction covering Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Era, and African-American contributions to U.S. development. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, Michigan school districts must provide this instruction, and state assessments will include related questions. The bill mandates curriculum updates to the state board within two years of the commission's recommendations. This directly affects all public K-12 schools in Michigan and their required social studies curriculum.
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 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.
