Michigan adopts updated sex education standards after contentious meeting

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(AP) – Despite opposition from some parents and pastors, the Michigan State Board of Education approved revised state health education standards Thursday that include recommendations that students be taught about gender identity and sexual orientation.

Proponents of the standards say they are age-appropriate and will help LGBTQ+ students understand themselves. Opponents say the standards undermine parental choice and religious liberties protections.

More than 100 people signed up to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting, either in person or online, prompting the board to limit each person to one minute, instead of the usual three minutes. Some people waved small pride flags during public comment. The state also had extra rooms available to hold those wishing to speak.

The board voted 6-2 on approving the “ Michigan Health Education Standards Guidelines.” Members made the decision after roughly two hours and 40 minutes of public comments, which were split between those in favor of the guidelines and those opposed to them.

“What is the hurry? Why now? Why today? Why this? If you really want to address health and the sex ed, let’s take time,” said Eileen McNeil, president of Citizens for Traditional Values during public comment.

Others said it was time for the state to embrace change. “Young people and Generation Z and the community that you serve are calling for comprehensive and inclusive sex ed and standards,” said Brianna Bryant of Detroit.

Among those speaking against the guidelines was John Grossenbacher, a parent in Clinton Township and candidate for state House. He told board members no other groups’ position on the topic should matter except that of parents. He organized a petition that has over 1,600 people urging the board to withdraw the proposal or reject the proposal.

“We need to keep the gender ideology religion at home and let the parents teach that,” said Sheila Cahoon, a Macomb County resident.

Meanwhile, many, including parents of transgender students, called on the board to approve the standards, saying they provide information students need to understand themselves.

Stella Shananaquet told the board she supports the standards.

“Deniers lost the bathroom wars, so here we are again with it wearing a different dress. Nobody’s teaching your kids gender identity. They already know. They’re just too scared to tell you about it. The bottom line is, you don’t have to believe in it. You don’t have to accept it, but it exists.”

Speakers spoke about student mental health, religious values and contention around how LGBTQ+ topics are discussed.

Standards get update

The standards outline what knowledge students should have by the time they complete a certain grade.

For example, under sex education standards, by the end of grade 8, students should be able to “define gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and explain that they are distinct components of every individual’s identity.”

State education officials say parents still have the option to opt their children out of sex education with no penalty, and MDE added language about what state law says about health and sex education, local control of schools and parent choice in the revised standard proposal discussed Thursday.

This is the first update to health education standards since 2007, and the state Department of Education stressed that they are only guidelines not mandates, and schools are still required to comply with all relevant state law.

“The standards provide guidance to local school districts and, as in previous versions, local control remains in place and parents retain the right to decide whether their children should participate in sex education instruction,” the Michigan Department of Education said in a news release following the vote.

“Local boards of education determine the health curriculum for their districts which may include sex education curriculum—if the district decides to offer sex ed— that has been reviewed by local sex education advisory boards that must include 50% parent representation.”

MDE also maintains the update complies with the state’s revised civil rights law called the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Lawmakers amended the law in 2023 to protect people from discrimination based on gender identity.

You can review the standards here.

Issue remains contentious

The passage of the standards followed a contentious school board meeting in October, where more than 70 people signed up for public comment.

Prior to Thursday’s meeting, some lawmakers had raised questions about the proposed standards.

At an Oversight Committee meeting last month, House Republicans questioned Interim State Superintendent Sue Carnell about how many genders there are and the reasoning behind the department’s proposal.

The committee has issued a subpoena to compel MDE to produce documents related to standards, according to a news release Wednesday.

‘Long overdue’

State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder, R-Goodrich, challenged whether MDE even has authority to make these standards.

Last year, Michigan Democrats proposed a bill that would have required schools teaching sex education to provide instruction about consent, contraceptives and “all legally available pregnancy outcomes.” The bill would have also removed a ban on distributing condoms on school grounds.

Board member Tom McMillin, R-Oakland Township, said the law doesn’t have penalties for schools that don’t properly distribute opt-out forms making it “meaningless.”

He said he worries the state will pass standards that go against law, will be legally challenged and cost taxpayers money.

Board member Tiffany Tilley, D-West Bloomfield said the standards were “long overdue for an update.”

There were 1,338 surveys completed during the public comment period, with 924 opposing the proposal, according to MDE. Reasons include opposition to talking about gender topics, concerns about including sex education in health education, parent opt-out concerns and other reasons.

There were also 2,037 emails sent to state board members or the state department of education. There were 1,141 emails in support of these guidelines with top reasons being the standards were inclusive to students and needed to be updated, according to MDE.

McMillin said he takes issue with these counts because MDE staff cannot verify how people sent him emails.

What Michigan laws says about sex education

Under current law, Michigan parents are allowed to opt their children out of sex education with no penalty. Students are required to take health to graduate high school but cannot be penalized for opting out of sex education.

Schools are required to provide instruction on HIV/AIDs but have wide flexibility on how much information they provide about sex.

If a school district chooses to offer sex education, they must have a sex education advisory board made up of community members including students and parents.

Teachers are not allowed to talk about abortion as a means of family planning and condoms cannot be distributed on school grounds.