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State Superintendent Issues Statement on DOJ Investigation of Local Districts

LANSING — The Michigan Department of Education is releasing the following statement from State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) announcement that it is investigating three Michigan school districts to determine whether they have included instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The Michigan Department of Education strongly supports all students and supports the school districts that have been targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice.   

“If we want to put Students First and make sure children can learn, we need all students to be healthy and safe and feel included. The much-needed updates to health education guidelines—which the Department of Justice falsely said are state requirements—help local districts make decisions on how they can support student health.  

“As required by state law, MCL 380.1507, local school boards set health curriculum with input from local sex education advisory boards. Local control remains in place. Parents retain the right to decide whether their children should participate in sex education instruction. 

“The Michigan Department of Education strongly supports and will work closely with the three districts’ efforts to select a curriculum that best supports the needs of their students, consistent with state standards and guidelines. We remain committed to protecting the rights of all students and to upholding Michigan’s constitutional guarantee of access to a free public education for every child.” 

“The breadth and scope of the federal requests, premised on a mischaracterization of the Michigan Health Education Standards Guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education, place a significant administrative burden on local districts and risk diverting time and resources away from the core mission of educating students.”

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