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Michigan House Panel Rejects Health Education Draft, Sends It Back for Redrafting

The vote forces a rewrite despite MDE’s insistence the standards are optional guidance.

Overview

  • House Oversight Committee passed Resolution 195 along party lines, 10–7, rejecting the draft and returning it to the Michigan Department of Education.
  • The proposal marks the first major update to Michigan’s health education framework since 2007 and references LGBTQ-related content in sex education recommendations.
  • Chief Deputy Superintendent Sue Carnell testified the framework is non-binding, with local districts setting content beyond required instruction on HIV/AIDS and communicable diseases.
  • Republican lawmakers and some parents argued the guidance blurs the line between general health and sex education and could weaken parental opt-out protections.
  • A 51-page summary says applied definitions of gender identity, expression and sexual orientation would appear in grades 6–8, and the State Board previously voted down a similar rejection resolution, with its next meeting on Nov. 13.