After sex-ed controversy, GOP seeks more control over Michigan classrooms

A Republican-sponsored bill would require that the Legislature sign off on changes to education standards
The State Board of Education approved new health education standards in November
The standards recommend schools include information on gender identity and sexual orientation

Two months after Michigan approved new controversial sex education standards, some Republicans want to change the law so that legislators will have to sign off on such changes in the future.

Currently, the State Board of Education approves content standards that local schools use to determine how to teach a certain subject. The State Board of Education recently approved recommendations that students be taught about gender identity and sexual orientation.

The recommendations ignited a fierce debate, with many residents speaking for and against the revisions, but ultimately the board approved them by a 6-2 vote along party lines. The revised standards spell out what students should know by the time they complete a certain grade. For example, by the end of grade 8, students should be able to “define gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and explain that they are distinct components of every individual’s identity.”

House Bill 5364 would only allow new content standards to go into place if the House and Senate give their approval through a concurrent resolution.

The House Education and Workforce committee heard testimony but did not vote on the bill Wednesday. Even if the measure were to pass the House, the bill would likely face an uphill battle in Michigan’s Democratic-controlled Senate.

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“I think some of the genesis of this bill arose because the public really had very little timeline to weigh in on the state school board’s decision last fall,” said Eileen McNeil, president of Citizens for Traditional Values.

She said the Legislature should weigh in, especially because changes in standards can lead to districts making costly curriculum purchases.

State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh, D-Saginaw, opposes the bill.

“It’s another way of MAGA extremism trying to circumvent the constitution and push forward an agenda that is a disregard for people.”

“This is not a political or religious bill,” sponsor State Rep. Gina Johnsen, R-Portland, said at Wednesday’s hearing. “This is process. We’re just going to tighten process. This could go any number of different directions depending on what core curriculum we’re talking about.”

Representatives from Kallman Legal Group and the Michigan chapter of the Citizens Defending Freedom also spoke in support of the bill.

Four women stand in line to go into a meeting room — People waiting to address the State Board of Education form a line going through the door of the board’s meeting room on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, in Lansing. Proponents said the standards are age-appropriate and would help LGBTQ+ students understand themselves, while opponents said the effort undermines parental choice and religious liberties. (Brian Wells for Bridge Michigan)

The discussion comes after the Democratic-majority State Board of Education approved changes to the health education standards in November. About two weeks before that vote, the chair of the House Oversight committee, Clay Republican Jay DeBoyer, questioned the then-interim state superintendent, Sue Carnell, about how many genders there are and the rationale behind the changes.

The Michigan Department of Education is opposed to the bill, with spokesperson Bob Wheaton telling Bridge in a statement that the measure “usurps the authority of the State Board of Education and takes away the voice of parents in local communities who participate in the process for the board’s approval of model core curriculum content standards.”

Board member Nikki Snyder, R-Goodrich, told Bridge she does not support the bill but “I support the fact that they are moving toward change in governance. But it’s the wrong change though.”

Snyder said the Michigan Department of Education should not be writing guidelines when it is in charge of ensuring districts are complying with them.

“Nobody should be in charge of writing their own rules.”