Michigan approves new sex education standards despite parent pushback

The Michigan State Board of Education has approved new state sex education standards that include recommendations to teach students about gender identity and sexual orientation.

The “Michigan Health Education Standards Guidelines” were approved on a 6-2 vote Thursday despite objections from some parents and pastors who claimed they undermine parental rights and religious freedoms.

But proponents of the standards argue that they are age-appropriate and will help LGBTQ+ students understand themselves.

State education officials say parents still have the option of removing their children from education without penalty. Language was also added to the new standards addressing what state laws say about health and sex education, local control of schools and parental choice.

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More than 100 people spoke in person or online during the public comment portion of the meeting. Some people waved small pride flags during public comments.

“What’s the rush? Why now? Why today? Why this? If you really want to address the issue of health and sexuality, let’s take some time,” Eileen McNeil, president of Citizens for Traditional Values, said in a public statement.

Clinton County parent and State House candidate John Grossenbacher said the parents’ location should be all that matters. He organized a petition in which 1,600 people called on the board to withdraw or reject the proposal.

Macomb County resident Sheila Cahoon said: “We need to keep the religion of gender ideology in the home and let parents teach it.”

Other speakers argued that it was time for the state to embrace change and welcome new sex education standards. Many, including parents of transgender students, have called on the board to adopt the standards, saying they offer information students may need to understand their identities.

“Teens, Generation Z, and the community you serve are calling for comprehensive and inclusive gender education and standards,” said Brianna Bryant of Detroit.

Another speaker, Stella Shananaquet, connected the issue of sex education in schools to other culture war issues regarding LGBTQ+ students.

“The deniers lost the toilet wars, so here we are again, wearing a different dress,” he said. “No one teaches your children about gender identity. They already know it. They are too afraid to tell you about it. The bottom line is that you don’t have to believe it. You don’t have to accept it, but it exists.”

Speakers also touched on topics such as student mental health, religious values, and how LGBTQ+ issues are discussed.

The revised standards detail what students should know when they complete a particular grade.

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State education officials say parents still have the option to exempt their children from sex education without penalty. (Pictured via Mike Kemp/Getty Images)

For example, by the end of eighth grade, students “should be able to define gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation and explain that these are different components of each individual’s identity.”

The state Department of Education emphasized that the standards are only guidelines and not mandates, adding that schools must still comply with all applicable state laws.

“The standards provide guidance to local school districts, and as in previous versions, local control remains in effect and parents retain the right to decide whether their children will participate in sex education instruction,” the state Department of Education said in a press release after the vote. he said.

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

The state Department of Education also says the update complies with Michigan’s revised civil rights law, the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which lawmakers amended in 2023 to protect people from discrimination based on gender identity.

Last month, Republicans in the State House questioned Interim State Superintendent Sue Carnell at an Oversight Committee meeting about how many genders there are and the reasoning behind the proposal.

The committee issued a subpoena to force the state Department of Education to produce documents related to the standards.

Republican State Board of Education member Nikki Snyder asked whether the department had the authority to set those standards.

Board member Tom McMillin, also a Republican, said under state law there are no penalties for schools that fail to distribute withdrawal forms. He said he’s concerned the state could pass standards that violate the law, could be challenged legally and cost taxpayers money.

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Some parents and pastors argue the standards undermine parental rights and religious freedoms. (istock)

Board member Tiffany Tilley, a Democrat, said the standards are “long overdue for an update.” This is the first update to state health education standards since 2007.

Under current state law, parents in Michigan are allowed to exempt their children from sex education without penalty. Students must receive health care in order to graduate from high school, but they cannot be punished for forgoing sex education.

Schools are required to educate about HIV/AIDs, but they have wide flexibility in how much education they provide about sexuality.

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If a school district offers sex education, it must have a sex education advisory board composed of community members, including students and parents.

Teachers are not allowed to talk to students about abortion as a family planning method, and condoms cannot be distributed on campus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.