Statewide proposal seeks trauma‑informed K‑12 training; coalition asks lawmakers for $3.5 million

LANSING — Co-chairs of the Michigan Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Initiative told the Michigan House Families and Veterans Committee on Tuesday that they are proposing a statewide policy requiring trauma‑informed training for K–12 school staff and are seeking funding to roll out a modular curriculum.

"68 percent of Michigan adults reporting reported experiencing at least 1 ACE, 20 percent reported 4 or more ACEs, and among those with 4 or more ACEs, 41 percent have been diagnosed with depression," said Lisa Farnham, co‑chair of the initiative's policy and advocacy work group and a representative of the Michigan Association of Health Plans Foundation.

The Michigan ACE Initiative, launched in 2017 and now overseen by the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), is a statewide coalition that says it aims to prevent and mitigate adverse childhood experiences through trauma‑informed, healing‑centered strategies. At Tuesday's committee hearing, Farnham and Katie Prout, co‑chair of the policy and advocacy work group and chief strategy officer at the Michigan Federation for Children and Families, described a curriculum the coalition has been developing and asked legislators to support a funding request.

Prout said the work group proposes a training program consisting of six one‑hour online modules designed to give educators clinical background on ACEs, strategies to create trauma‑sensitive classroom environments and tools to engage families and community partners. "The basis of the ACEs education is for people to be able to look at a person and say, not what's wrong with you, but what happened to you?" Prout said.

The coalition identified existing capacity it would draw on for curriculum development and delivery: a network of roughly 194 master trainers who completed early cohorts and a separate cadre of more than 700 Michigan ACE community champions (MAX). The initiative also cited examples from districts that have adopted ACE‑aligned practices: a multi‑year effort called Mind Matters in the Trenton School District and Bay‑Arenac ISD's use of ACE‑aligned de‑escalation training, which the coalition said contributed to reductions in seclusion, restraint and suspensions.

Committee members asked how the program would be funded and how it would affect classroom practice. Farnham said the coalition was seeking a "3 and a half million dollar line item" for fiscal 2026 to support the program, but later clarified with lawmakers that the request would be placed in the general budget and work with the Department of Health and Human Services rather than the school aid budget.

Lawmakers also raised questions about parental involvement and confidentiality. Representative Thompson asked what parental consent would be required if a child were pulled out of class for conversations or screening; Farnham said the training would not change existing school policies and protocols and that confidentiality and parental‑consent practices would remain governed by local district rules. She also said the curriculum development process would involve parents and people with lived experience to help shape content.

Members asked whether the training would replace existing behavioral‑health services; Farnham said the coalition does not intend to supplant mental‑health staffing or supports and noted districts have combined training with additional counseling resources funded through other sources, mentioning "31n funds" as one example used by some districts to bring in clinicians.

The witnesses told the committee they view the resolution Representative Wozniak is working on with the coalition as a starting point for broader legislative discussion about aligning state training and licensure standards, streamlining funding streams such as Medicaid and state grants, and improving interagency data coordination. The witnesses did not ask the committee for immediate legislative action during the hearing, and no committee vote was taken on the proposal.

The coalition said it plans to pursue the resolution to raise visibility for ACE‑related policy work and invited committee members to continue the conversation about program scope, funding and parental‑involvement safeguards.

The committee had no formal action on the proposal at the hearing; members thanked the witnesses and indicated staff may follow up if the committee requests additional information.