Board hears updates on new dyslexia laws, graduation requirements and student-led healthy-technology conversations

At the Dec. 16 meeting the Bloomfield Hills School Board received updates from its curriculum and instruction subcommittee on implementation planning for recently enacted Michigan literacy and dyslexia laws, high school curriculum requests, graduation-requirement questions and a student-led "healthy technology" community conversation that is continuing into January.

Trustees said the subcommittee reviewed PA 146 and PA 147 of 2024 (state literacy and dyslexia legislation) and the district's near-term implementation steps. The laws require screening and other literacy interventions, and the Michigan Department of Education will issue additional implementation guidance, trustees were told. One trustee asked whether the state would provide funding for implementation; staff responded the current guidance appears policy-driven and that funding details were expected to be clearer in June as the Michigan Department of Education finalizes implementation guidance.

The curriculum update also covered high school course additions and proposed curriculum changes; the committee reported it will collect requests and bring them forward for the board to consider in January or February. Trustees discussed whether the board can add graduation requirements. Committee members said the board does have authority to add requirements but that the subcommittee did not reach a position on whether to pursue that change. The idea to add a co-curricular participation requirement (for example, mandatory involvement in extracurriculars to reduce unsupervised screen time) was raised during community conversations but trustees and staff cautioned any change would require a fuller equity and access discussion.

High school principal Dan Hartley briefed trustees on a student- and community-led conversation about healthier technology habits. Hartley described the discussion as an early-stage, stakeholder-driven process focused on three questions: what students can do personally, what families can do at home, and what the school can do to support healthier habits. "The purpose was to start the conversation and identify and create a goal around healthier habits with personal technology use," Hartley said.

Hartley said student subgroups brainstormed options; one student-generated idea that emerged was that greater participation in co-curricular activities seemed to correlate with less inappropriate device use. Board members and administrators said the subgroups will reconvene in early January to consider next steps, gather local experts for a panel presentation and produce recommendations that could include voluntary pledges, classroom-level strategies, or policy options for future discussion.

Why it matters

The literacy and dyslexia laws impose specific screening and consultant-definition requirements that districts must implement over time. If the state funds parts of the initiative, the district could be eligible for targeted support; if not, local resources may be needed for staffing, screeners and professional development. Graduation-requirement changes would affect all students and therefore demand a careful equity analysis before any policy change.

What's next

Staff said they will continue to monitor MDE guidance and funding announcements (expected in June) and provide the board with implementation timelines. The student-led technology committee will meet in early January and plan a panel presentation and next steps that will be reported to the curriculum and instruction subcommittee.

Ending

Trustees welcomed the updates and asked staff to return with specific implementation timelines and any funding information when it becomes available.