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Granholm
Signs Student Safety Package
Gongwer News Service, September 29, 2005
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Governor
Jennifer Granholm on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at
keeping sex offenders and certain felons away from children. The
18-bill package known as the student safety initiative has been
one of this year's top priorities for both the governor and the
Legislature.
Ms. Granholm, who on Wednesday signed the last of the package
with HB 4932 and SB 129, commended the Legislature for acting
quickly to pass the legislation, which, among other precautions,
will require more extensive background checks on school
employees, bar convicted sex offenders from continued teaching
and create "predator free zones" near schools.
"Parents deserve peace of mind knowing that their children are
safe, especially when they are away from home, " she said. "
This legislation will ensure that sexual predators cannot harm
children while they are riding the bus, playing on the school
playground, learning in classrooms, or at day care."
Other highlights of the new laws include providing stiffer
penalties to sex offenders who fail to report address and other
information to law enforcement and who fail to disclose prior
sex convictions when seeking employment at a school, requiring
childcare providers to undergo criminal records and history
checks and allowing testimony about previous sex crimes to be
used against a defendant as character evidence.
Other bills previously signed by the governor and included under
the student safety umbrella are: SB 617, PA 121; SB 606; SB 607;
SB 609; SB 611; SB 615; SB 616; HB 4402; HB 4928; HB 4930; HB
4934; HB 4936; HB 4937; HB 4958 and HB 4991.
Michigan Dept. of Education Hopes to Centralize Curriculum
Decisions
Gongwer News Service, September 29, 2005
The Department of Education shared its vision to centralize
curriculum decisions while House Education Committee Chair Rep.
Brian Palmer (R-Romeo) identified curriculum development as a
priority this year. But one panel member cautioned against
government decision making in the public schools at Wednesday's
committee meeting.
Yvonne Caamal Canul, director of Office of School Improvement,
told the committee that current state standards are too vague.
She said the department hopes to create more specific guidelines
and standards to unify classroom instruction.
"If you don't have a fairly standardized set of expectations,
then a student could move from school x to school y to school z
and learn the same content again and again," she said, adding
that standardizing expectations will address issues of mobile
students and issues of resource disparities.
"Sometimes if you leave it to local control, that local control,
not through malice, may not have the resources available to
provide the rigorous curriculum we all know is expected of our
students."
But some legislators say it is not the responsibility of the
government to decide what children should learn. Rep. Jack
Hoogendyk (R-Portage) said parents are the primary educators.
"It is the natural and fundamental right of parents to determine
and direct the care, teaching and education of their children,"
said Mr. Hoogendyk. "My concern is this, the farther up the
chain we go, the less the parents feel they're a part of the
process anymore. When we lose the parents we lose the absolute
most important component to making sure our children learn what
they need to learn."
The DOE told committee members the structure of the Merit Exam
will also be changing. Jeremy Hughes, chief academic officer,
said the new test would monitor student achievement and work as
a college entrance exam. He said the new Merit test will
increase the number of students taking the test and become a
more accurate measure of student performance.
"We fully expect this new exam will be an attractive exam that
non-public schools will voluntarily want to participate in," Mr.
Hughes said. The new Merit Exam will be offered in some pilot
districts this spring, and will be administered in all districts
in 2007.
Mr. Hughes said the department is also looking at more rigorous
graduation requirements including technology capacity.
Mr. Palmer has identified school curriculum development as a
committee priority this year. The panel is expected to focus on
statewide curriculum reform in the months to come.
Public Comment Sought to Improve Voting Process to Ensure
Access for Voters With Disabilities
Gongwer News
Service, September 29, 2005
Michigan's plan to make voting accessible has been changed and
the state wants resident input before the plan becomes final,
Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced Wednesday.
Public comment on the plan, which was updated this week to
comply with the federal Help America Vote Act, must be received
by October 27 at 5 p.m, after which the final plan will be
submitted for approval to the federal government.
The Help American Vote Act is designed to provide oversight and
funding for states to replace outdated voting equipment, to
ensure access for voters with disabilities and conduct voter
education programs.
Recent revisions to the state's plan were made to reflect
current costs of programs and initiatives outlined in the
initial version, the secretary of state said. Updates also allow
the state to take advantage of new technologies in voting
equipment.
"This is an important step in our ongoing initiative to bring
greater uniformity, accessibility and inclusiveness to
Michigan's elections, " Ms. Land said. "I invite all who are
interested to review and comment on this revised plan."
"Please join us as we work together to make sure that every
voice is heard," she said.
Those wishing to review the plan should contact their county
clerk or log onto www.michigan.gov/sos. Respondents are asked to
identify the sections on which they are responding by page
number. Comments go to Michigan Department of State, Bureau of
Elections, Attn: HAVA Plan, P.O. Box 20123, Lansing, MI
48901-0726 or by e-mail to:
elections@michigan.gov.
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