Many new Michigan laws introduced earlier this year have impacts on families, especially when it comes to student safety.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed off on a host of new laws earlier this year intended to make children safer both at school and at home.
“Michiganders should feel safe whether they’re watching a movie at home or heading into the classroom,” said Governor Whitmer in a press release. “That’s why I’m proud to sign these 19 commonsense bills that will keep Michigan families and neighborhoods safe from gun violence and other violent crimes.
Michigan legislators have been busy making new laws intended to protect children across the state. One notable law that went into effect earlier this year changed car seat rules, ensuring young children were in the safest possible location and seat while in a vehicle.
These new laws focus on gun violence in particular, a topic that has been a high priority for state legislators especially following devastating mass shootings across Michigan.
Last year, Michigan enacted an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law. The order is designed to allow citizens to petition a civil court to restrict someone’s access to firearms who might pose a risk to themselves or others.
The law was created following a mass shooting at Michigan State University in 2023. In its first year, concerned citizens made 391 ERPO complaints in the state.
These new safety laws continue Michigan legislators efforts to curb gun violence, especially in schools.
Read on for a breakdown on the new laws parents should know.
Information on how to safely store firearms must be given to parents
The Whitmer administration says an estimated 150,000 Michigan children live with an unsecured firearm in the home. These two new laws make sure that parents are given up-to-date information on how to keep those weapons safely out of the hands of children.
House Bills 5450 compels the department of health and human services to distribute information on the safe storage of firearms to the parents of all students by no later than July 1, 2025.
It will contain an overview of safe firearm storage requirements, frequently asked questions about firearm storage and guidance on how to find gun locks and safes. This instruction must be provided in English, Spanish and Arabic.
In addition, House Bill 5451 requires school districts to post information on their websites in English, Spanish and Arabic detailing how to safely store firearms in the home. The updates to the website must be made no later than October 1, 2025.
Updated response system for emergencies in schools
House Bills 4095 and 4096 create a standardized response terminology used by schools to respond to emergencies.
Schools must adopt a standard system by July 1, 2026. The law will have schools collaborate with law enforcement to create a systemized language for situations that might arise.
Terminology including lockdowns, shelter in place, evacuations and more will be kept standard to help better communicate how law enforcement responds to threats.
“These initiatives will ensure Michigan schools are able to respond to emergencies quickly and efficiently, keeping students and teachers safe when they’re in the classroom,” the governor’s office says in a press release.
New task force to focus on student and family mental health
House Bills 5659 and 5660 create the School Safety and Mental Health Commission in the Department of State Police.
The goal of the commission is to improve mental health in students and their families, with a special focus on reducing suicide rates. The commission will be made up of a diverse group of officials including a prosecutor.
In addition to creating the commission, the laws also require school districts to be more transparent on school crime.
It will require that a report with details on students who have been expelled and the reason behind the expulsion is submitted to the school safety commission at least once a year.
The laws also compel school districts to post crimes that have happened at school on their websites. Crimes that must be listed include physical violence, gang-related activity, drug abuse and more.
Lawmakers say that these changes will allow them to “assist schools and school districts to identify the most pressing safety issues confronting their school communities, to direct resources appropriately, and to enhance campus safety through prevention and intervention strategies.”
New behavioral assessment team to prevent student harm
House Bill 5549 forms a behavior threat assessment and management team. The responsibilities of the team will include monitoring concerning behavior of students and creating a plan to mitigate risk of harm.
By October 1, 2026 at the latest, school district leaders must create the threat assessment teams. The law says the team must include a school administrator, mental health professional and local law enforcement official or school resource officer.
The team will be responsible for monitoring concerning behavior, distinguishing between credible and non-credible threats, creating a central reporting system for concerned parties to report threats and other duties related to student safety.
Finally, the law compels the department of state police and school safety office to create safety and security training material that will be distributed to schools across the state.
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