The Michigan Senate Education Committee advanced a series of bills that would bar local school districts from requiring masks and other measures to keep students and educators safe, denying schools the basic tools that are needed in order to keep their children in attendance and healthy.
Schools, as reported by A2D2-Ann Arbor inDivisible Dems, are placed in a difficult position. If infection rates get high enough that closing would be considered, under the new education budget rules, the schools could lose their state funding if 75% of students in a district aren’t in attendance for 180 days.
These bills now go to the full Senate for their consideration.
- Senate Bill 600 would prohibit schools from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine to attend classes, ride a school bus, attend any school-sponsored event, attend a school board meeting or participate in extracurricular activities. The bill also prohibits schools from discriminating between vaccinated and unvaccinated students.
- Senate Bill 601 would prohibit schools from requiring a face covering for students to attend school, from COVID-19 testing asymptomatic students or from discriminating between tested and untested students.
- Senate Bill 602 would prohibit the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and local health officials from instituting any rule that requires a COVID-19 vaccine, face covering or take a COVID-19 test when asymptomatic to participate in any school activity.
- Senate Bill 603 would prohibit the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and local health officials ordering students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, wear a mask or take a COVID-19 test to participate in school activities. The bill also would include any member of the public who wants to attend a school board meeting.
Call these Michigan Senators and tell them SB600-SB603 will cause schools to close and send our children back into pandemic chaos.
Lana Theis (R-22, W Washtenaw)
(517) 373-2420
Ken Horn (R-32, Saginaw)
(517) 373-1760
Jim Runestad (R-15, White Lake)
(517) 373-1758
Kevin Daley (R-31, Lapeer)
(517) 373-1777
Mike McDonald (R-10, Macomb)
(517) 373-7315
Jim Stamas (R-36, Midland)
(517) 373-7946