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Board Unanimously Urges Voluntary Autism Safety Registration and Police Training
Summary
After a parent described dangerous elopement incidents, the State Board adopted a unanimous resolution urging the legislature to create voluntary, confidential local autism registration systems and to require autism-awareness and de‑escalation training for law enforcement and emergency responders.
A public comment from a parent whose nonverbal son twice eloped and wandered near busy roads helped animate a unanimous State Board vote urging voluntary autism safety registration programs and law-enforcement training.
"Today, I am asking you, the board members, I am pleading with you to consider passing the resolution for all police departments to have an optional registration system so that we as parents and family members will feel safe if our kids ever eloped," Stephanie Jones told the board during public comment.
Miss Tilly introduced the board’s resolution, which urges the Michigan Legislature to enact a voluntary autism safety registration system allowing parents and guardians to confidentially register children with local law enforcement agencies, to require comprehensive autism awareness and de‑escalation training for law enforcement officers and emergency responders, and to establish notification systems enabling dispatchers to alert responding officers when a registered individual lives at the address of a service call. The resolution encouraged local collaboration with autism advocacy groups, educators and families and emphasized confidentiality and civil‑rights protections.
Board members noted similar local efforts: Snyder and others referenced Sterling Heights’ recent local implementation and a 2020 bipartisan law that allows an autism designation on state driver’s licenses as precedents to build on. The board stressed the system should be optional for families and implemented at the local level to protect privacy.
The board approved the resolution by unanimous roll-call vote. Miss Evans recorded votes as: Lipton Yes; McMillan Yes; Pritchett Yes; Pugh Yes; Robinson Yes; Snyder Yes; Anne Tilley Yes.
What’s next: The board’s resolution asks that copies be transmitted to the governor, the legislature, the Michigan Department of State Police and local law enforcement agencies. Any legislative language or funding decisions would be determined by the Legislature and local agencies.
