UPDATE: The State Senate passed SB 945 unanimously on Thursday, June 4. The bill now heads to the State House for their consideration. A bill to require incoming law enforcement officers to receive training on implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, and mental health screening has been introduced in the Michigan Legislature. MEA is supporting this legislation…
EAST LANSING — The following statement can be attribute to MEA President Paula Herbart in response to the ongoing protests and racial unrest in our country: “The protests we have witnessed across our state and throughout the nation over the past several days should serve as a wake-up call for both police officers and citizens.…
Educators, parents, students, community members participate in ‘virtual rally,’ urging Congress to make Michigan’s students top priority LANSING — Thousands of Michigan educators, parents, students and community members today called for federal relief for education amidst the continuing COVID-19 pandemic during a Facebook Live “virtual rally.” The Our Children, Our Future coalition urged Congress to…
While so much about the near future remains uncertain, one thing could not be more clear: Going forward our schools and our students will need more support – not drastic funding cuts. To get the help our students need, it’s time to raise our voices together in a virtual rally this Friday at 5 p.m.! Without…
If you’re interested in serving on Michigan’s new non-partisan redistricting commission, applications are due to the Secretary of State this coming Monday, June 1. Created by the passage of the Voters Not Politicians ballot measure in 2018, this commission will take over drawing legislative district maps for 2022, following the 2020 Census (if you haven’t already…
Last year, MEA member Bill Boerman launched an ambitious greenhouse project at Holland Middle School because he knew it would pay big dividends in his STEM students’ learning about design, gardening, and nutrition. Now it’s led to a benefit he didn’t imagine: delivering fresh produce to a local food bank for people thrust into need…
Through one art project, MEA member Julie Durocher has found a way both to alleviate stress for those quarantining at home and to help homeless people who lack a safe place to hunker down amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Durocher lined up visual artists in Jackson County – where she is a professional artist and…
Friday’s announcement of an over $6 billion pandemic-driven hole in the state budget reinforced the urgency of getting help from Congress to help maintain essential services, like public education. Following relief for big businesses like airlines and cruise operators, it’s time for the federal government to help schools and other state-funded essentials deal with the…
On Friday, Gov. Whitmer announced the creation of a new Return to Learning Advisory Council – comprised of students, parents, frontline educators, administrators and public health officials – to formalize a process for how schools can safely reopen. “It’s critical we bring together experts in health care and education, as well as students, educators, and…
The State Board of Education approved a resolution on Tuesday calling on Michigan’s state and national lawmakers to push for legislation preserving “educational services to Michigan school children that have been threatened as a result of this pandemic.” The resolution – which MEA formally supported during Tuesday’s meeting – comes as Congress begins to ramp up discussion…
