I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
The Michigan State House Education Committee took testimony regarding anti-bullying legislation Thursday morning. A vote on the measure is expected next week.
The bill being reviewed is HB 4580, introduced by Rep. Pam Byrnes (D-Lyndon Township). The legislation does not include an enumeration, or list, of protected classes as has been a sticking point in past legislation — and caused a deep schism in the safe schools coalition last year.
But it does include a definition of bullying — something Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Wayne Kuipers of Holland said the Senate has been struggling with.
The bill’s definition is:
B) “BULLYING OR HARASSMENT” MEANS ABUSE OF A PUPIL BY 1 OR MORE OTHER PUPILS IN ANY FORM. THE TERM INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, CONDUCT THAT MEETS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
(i) SUBSTANTIALLY INTERFERES WITH EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, BENEFITS, OR PROGRAMS OF 1 OR MORE PUPILS.
(ii) ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE ABILITY OF A PUPIL TO PARTICIPATE IN OR BENEFIT FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S OR PUBLIC SCHOOL’S EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES BY PLACING THE PUPIL IN REASONABLE FEAR OF PHYSICAL HARM OR BY CAUSING EMOTIONAL DISTRESS.
(iii) IS REASONABLY PERCEIVED TO BE MOTIVATED BY ANIMUS OR BY AN ACTUAL OR PERCEIVED CHARACTERISTIC.
But that definition may not sit well with Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan. Glenn has argued that even the inclusion of the idea of actual or perceived characteristics language goes too far.
Anti-bullying legislation has been drawing renewed attention following the reported suicide of a 12-year-old girl from the state’s upper peninsula. Gov. Jennifer Granholm who has long supported and advocated for passage of the law, renewed her calls on the legislature to pass the legislation earlier this month.
And she also took Kuipers to task over his claims the Senate was struggling with defining what bullying was. Her office characterized Kuipers statements as “wrong,” in a statement to Michigan Messenger.
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