29-05-2025
Michigan bills would require updated school safety training for teachers, staff
More of the school safety training recommendations made by a special task force after the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in Southeast Michigan are making their way through the state legislature.
One of them is House Bill 4315, which is cosponsored by Rep. Joseph Pavlov (R-Smiths Creek) and Rep. Cameron Cavitt (R-Cheboygan). It passed the state House on a vote of 82 to 24 and is now assigned to the state Senate education committee.
House Bill 5315 intends to direct the Michigan State Police to create training materials for school resource officers, security personnel, teachers and staff in Michigan's public and private schools.
"Ensuring every school has able, well-trained staff that know how to appropriately respond to emergency situations will go a long way in making our schools safer and giving every parent in Michigan greater peace of mind," Pavlov said about that bill.
The companion legislation is House Bill 4223, which passed the House on a vote of 85 to 21 and has been assigned to the state Senate education committee. It would require a training plan starting in the 2026-27 school year that calls for certain school employees to participate in the training spelled out in House Bill 4315.
The latest bills are part of a package meant to help address recommendations issued in 2022 by the Michigan House's School Safety Task Force. That was a bipartisan group that looked at existing rules, best practices and policy options in response to the tragedy at Oxford High School and other schools across the country.
