Michigan’s Proposed Sex Ed Overhaul: What Michigan Parents Need to Know

Note: This article deals with sensitive and mature subjects and is intended for adult readers only.

A bill has been drafted to radically overhaul the way that Michigan’s public schools teach children about sex education, gender, identity, and reproductive rights. If passed, this legislation would affect approximately 1.3 million in nearly 3,000 public schools across the state. Some are quick to dismiss the difficult topic of sex-ed in public schools, since parents may excuse their child (Learn more about opting out. ). What you may not know is that less than 5% of parents excuse their children from sex education. This is in part due to a change in how permission is given. Parents are no longer required to sign a permission slip each year when sex ed is taught. Rather, their permission is assumed unless they actively revoke it. It is crucial that parents know what their child is being taught.

What Schools are Teaching Now:

Before exploring what this new bill seeks to accomplish, it is important to understand what is already being taught in our public schools and how effective that teaching is.

Currently, children typically begin studying Sex Education in upper elementary school (as early as grades 3 and 4) with continued studies throughout high school. A board of community members, including parents, teachers, and clergy work with the local school board to approve curriculum in each district, in accordance with legislative guidelines that teach abstinence first, alongside elements of healthy relationships, consent and refusal skills, and how to mitigate health risks. Students also learn about healthy family life and how think carefully about the long-term impact of their actions. Current standards actively involve parents and do not allow for school teaching on abortion or distribution of contraceptives.

Notably, according to the State of Michigan’s Adolescent Sexual Health Dashboard, this method of teaching has been highly effective:

• More than 75% of students report choosing abstinence, with the number of students who choose to wait growing each year over a 5 year time span.
• Less than 18% of students reported being sexually active, and the overwhelming number of those students reported using protective devices.
• Teen pregnancy was also at a record low, with an average of just 12.3 reported births among every 1,000 young women aged 15-19 (more than 2 points below the national average).
• The new diagnosis rate for most STIs, including HIV, have steadily decreased over the last 5 years.

While there is always room to improve, these statistics would suggest that engaged parenting and Michigan’s emphasis on abstinence and healthy decision making in existing sex education are having a positive effect year over year.  

What Changes are Proposed in the New Bill:

The radical new bill, which is expected to be introduced in November 2024, makes the following changes that overwhelmingly sexualize children:

• Removes the requirement that schools teach that abstinence  “is a positive lifestyle for unmarried young people” – page 2
• Removes language teaching about healthy social and economic aspects of family life, and replaces it with teaching children about sexual health – page 3
• Removes the requirement for clergy to be a part of sex-ed advisory boards in schools, who work with parents and teachers to shape curriculum. – page 5
• Repeals prohibitive language so that schools can distribute family planning drugs and devices, without a provision for parental notice or consent.  – page 7
• Requires curriculum to be inclusive and diverse concerning  “gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation” and other metrics. – pages 10,11, & 12
•  Adds a new requirement to teach about “bodily autonomy,”which means your child will learn that it is their right to make independent and private decisions about their body, life and future, including things like whether to have sex, use contraception, or have children of their own.[1] – page 10
• Teaches your child how to access “sexual and reproductive health resources and services.” – page 11
• Teaches children “skills needed to communicate with parents” about their relationships, sexual and reproductive health. This is literally a government employee teaching your child how to talk to you, the parent, about their sex life or romantic relationships – page 11
• Includes information on all FDA approved contraceptives and all “legally available pregnancy outcomes”, which includes types of abortion available. – page 12
• Adds a new requirement to teach “sexual identity,” stating teachers must “Affirmatively recognize that individuals have different sexual orientations and gender identities” and requires them to be inclusive of various gender relationships” in teaching illustrations. This means that your child would be given examples portraying gay, lesbian, transgender, and other sexual activities and relationships in the classroom – pages 10, 11, 12

Imagine the harm this proposed law could do to children year after year! This bill goes far beyond teaching about the development of the human reproductive system and how to mitigate risks of STIs. It actively seeks to socially engineer children all across the state of Michigan by normalizing perverse and dangerous sexual behavior.  Here, it positions the government in the place of parents as trusted figures in a child’s life, giving government a platform to shape how children think about morality, identity, and the most intimate parts of the human experience. Christian parents must not cede this ground to the state.

Michigan children need to know the truth, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God as male or female. They need to know that their ultimate identity is found in Him—not in sexual behavior. They need to know that God has a good, pure, and holy design for sex—only between a married man and woman walking in the covenant of marriage before Him. They need to know that every single life conceived is another life fearfully and wonderfully made in Him image.

Scripture is clear that it is the parent’s job—not the government’s—to educate their child and train them in the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs 22, Ephesians 6).

In Matthew 18:6, Jesus was clear that everyone has a duty in protecting the innocence of children, and that we must not cause them to stumble into sin.

We must not allow the normalization of sexual sin and perversion to be taught to innocent children with our tax dollars.

What You Can Do:

1. Read this bill for yourself and do your own research
2. Contact your legislators and respectfully share your thoughts and concerns on this bill. Remember, it is expected to be introduced and taken up for a vote in November, meaning you have only a short time to contact your state senator and state representative.  You can learn how to contact your legislators at legislature.mi.gov using the “Find your Senator” and “Find your Representative“ links.
3. Share this important information with other parents and Christian citizens that you know. You can download our one-page fact sheet on this draft bill here.
4. If you are a parent, prayerfully consider what Scripture teaches about your role as a parent. The let the Word of God guide you in how you raise and educate your child. It is imperative that Christian parents don’t delegate their God given responsibility to the government.
5. Finally, and most importantly, we must pray. We need to pray for our elected leaders, for our schools and teachers, for God’s protection over children, and for every family and parent.

[1] “What is bodily autonomy?” https://www.msiunitedstates.org/my-body-my-choice-defending-bodily-autonomy/

This article was originally published by Salt & Light Global, a Michigan faith-based non-profit, taking the heart of Jesus to the culture. The author, Katherine Bussard, is Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Salt & Light Global.