House committee adopts statewide baseline training for school safety; three-tier program approved in substitutes

The House Education and Workforce Committee on a voice and roll-call series of votes moved the session forward on a package of school-safety measures and unanimously adopted H‑1 substitutes that direct the Michigan State Police's Office of School Safety to coordinate multi-tiered training statewide.

The substitutes adopted by the committee require three tiers of training: one for school resource officers, one for school crisis team members, and one for all school personnel who have regular contact with students. Representative Harris, sponsor of House Bill 4,223, said schools would be required to develop and implement a school safety and training plan beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

The committee emphasized the need for a statewide baseline so districts and local law enforcement have common expectations. "It is imperative to not only have great training for your school districts and your police departments, but that there is some similarity across…