House panel reports HB 4362; Michigan ACE Initiative urges statewide K‑12 training

The Michigan House Families and Veterans Committee voted unanimously to report House Bill 4362 to the House floor, and later heard testimony on a proposal to require trauma‑informed training for K‑12 school staff.

The committee recorded an 11‑0 vote to report HB 4362 after a roll call on the motion to report. Afterward, representatives heard from Katie Prout and Lisa Farnham, co‑chairs of the Michigan ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Initiative policy and advocacy work group, who outlined a proposal for statewide ACEs education for school staff and sought legislative support and funding.

Katie Prout, chief strategy officer at the Michigan Federation for Children and Families and co‑chair of the MI ACE Initiative policy and advocacy work group, said the proposal would establish a training curriculum for educators to recognize and respond to trauma in students. “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.

Prout said the work group proposes a six‑module, one‑hour‑each online curriculum administered through the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI). The training would cover clinical aspects of ACEs, community context and systemic contributors to student behavior, and practices to build trauma‑sensitive classroom environments. Prout said the MI ACE Initiative has a statewide network of roughly 194 master trainers and more than 700 “Michigan ACE community champions” who have delivered trainings, and that the coalition lists more than 200 partner organizations.

Lisa Farnham of the Michigan Association of Health Plans Foundation described the scale of the public‑health problem the initiative seeks to address, citing research and state survey figures: “68 percent of Michigan adults reporting 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,” she said. Farnham added that ACEs are not a life sentence and that early intervention and trauma‑informed systems can promote resilience.

During questions, committee members raised confidentiality and parental‑consent concerns. Representative Rob Wozniak asked whether participation in school programs would be discrete so that “other people in the school don’t know that that child is getting treated or conversed with.” Prout and Farnham said the trainings are intended to equip school staff to recognize and respond to trauma within existing school policies and confidentiality rules; they cited examples such as “handle with care” notices that can alert staff to use a trauma‑sensitive approach without disclosing diagnostic details.

Representative Thompson pressed for specifics on interventions and outcomes. Prout and Farnham described district examples: a multi‑year professional development model called Mind Matters in one district and ACE‑aligned de‑escalation training used by Bay Arenac ISD that they said reduced seclusion, restraint and suspensions. They said the training is intended to be paired with community behavioral‑health supports rather than replace counselors or clinical services.

Committee members also questioned funding and budget placement. Prout initially cited a $3.5 million funding request but then said the work group had misstated the budget vehicle; the presenters clarified they were seeking funding through general budget/DHHS channels rather than the School Aid Fund. They also said the initiative was launched in 2017 with support from a Michigan Health Endowment Fund grant and is now overseen by MPHI.

Prout said the work group is working with Representative Wozniak on a resolution to elevate the issue and encourage incorporation of trauma‑informed principles into training, licensure standards and interagency collaboration; she described the resolution as intended to make visible existing work and identify gaps. The witnesses emphasized that the training would include parents and people with lived experience during curriculum development.

No formal committee action was taken on the ACEs training proposal during the meeting; the session concluded after the HB 4362 vote and testimony.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded an 11‑0 vote in favor of reporting House Bill 4362 to the House floor.