Education (Curriculum)

HB 4285 requires Michigan schools to offer firearm safety instruction for students in grades 6-12 by September 2025. The state must create a model program (based on existing hunter safety standards) covering safe handling, cleaning, firearm types, and hunting practices, taught by certified instructors - **without bringing firearms into school buildings**. Schools may offer this as an optional extracurricular class or integrate it into existing courses, and students or parents may opt out without penalty. Completing the program counts toward the hunter safety certification needed for a hunting license. The bill directly affects all Michigan public schools and students in grades 6-12.

HB 4829 requires Michigan public high schools to implement a mandatory 2-semester constitutional literacy course for students entering high school in the 2026-2027 school year. The course must cover U.S. founding documents, government structures (including the Bill of Rights and state constitution), historical development of republicanism, and comparisons to other governance systems, while banning instruction on the 1619 Project and requiring specific historical examples of communist regimes. Schools must ensure teachers do not present materials contrary to the Constitution, with violations resulting in $5,000 fines, immediate termination, and teaching certificate suspension. This bill directly affects all public high school students and educators in Michigan starting with the 2026-2027 academic year.

HB 4156 amends Michigan's high school graduation requirements for diplomas. It modifies mathematics credit rules by allowing students to fulfill algebra II requirements through approved career and technical education programs (e.g., engineering, computer science) that cover equivalent content, rather than solely through traditional math courses. The bill also clarifies social science requirements, specifying that students entering grade 8 before 2023 may satisfy the economics credit with a personal economics course containing financial literacy, while maintaining core history and civics requirements for all students. These changes directly affect Michigan high school students and school districts by altering diploma eligibility criteria.

HB 4107 requires Michigan schools to include specific health education content for students in grades 7-12. It mandates instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) use, and first aid response kits (including tourniquets and bleeding control supplies) as part of the health curriculum. Schools may use trained personnel like Red Cross instructors, EMTs, or properly trained teachers to deliver this instruction, with hands-on practice encouraged but not required for all students. The bill exempts 100% online schools from requiring hands-on CPR practice.

SB 614 would replace Michigan's current high school graduation requirement for 2-3 credits in a language other than English (Section 1278a(2)) with a "life skills" requirement. The bill allows students to fulfill this credit through foreign language, fine arts, or career/technical education programs approved by the state. This change directly affects all Michigan high school students seeking diplomas, as it modifies a core graduation standard under the Revised School Code. The bill amends Sections 1278a, 1278b, and 1531f of the 1976 School Code (MCL 380.1278a et seq.).

HB 5242 prohibits accrediting agencies from considering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, programs, or practices when making accreditation decisions for Michigan's public and private colleges and universities. The bill directly affects higher education institutions, accrediting agencies, and their students and employees by requiring accreditation decisions to focus solely on academic standards. Key provisions ban agencies from reviewing DEI-related information, collecting such data, or requiring diversity statements, with enforcement through lawsuits by students, employees, or the Attorney General. Violations could result in triple damages, attorney fees, and up to $1,000 per affected student in penalties.