LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – A group of Michigan House Republicans is calling on the State Board of Education and the Michigan Department of Education to withdraw their proposed update to the state’s Health Education Standards Framework.
During a press conference Thursday, lawmakers announced a new House resolution that urges the board to reject the framework, claiming it embeds topics like gender identity and sexual orientation into required health classes, a move they argue violates state law and parental rights.
“This resolution is about accountability,” Representative Gina Johnson (R-Portland) said. “It’s about protecting parental rights, restoring local control, and reaffirming that the law, not ideology, governs our classrooms.”
Lawmakers cited Michigan’s education code, which requires that sex education be voluntary and that parents be notified and allowed to opt their children out. They said the framework risks “removing parental choice and undermining local authority.”
Representative Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown) argued that merging health and sex education content would blur important boundaries.
“I do not co-parent with the government,” she said. “Parents, not bureaucrats, should decide when their children are ready to have these conversations about sexuality and reproduction.”
Republicans also criticized the State Board’s authority, saying the board has “supervisory and advisory” power but cannot mandate curriculum. Representative Joseph Fox (R-Fremont) questioned the State Board’s role directly, saying, “Who do you think you are? You are not the parents of our children.”
The Michigan Department of Education maintains that the framework is voluntary and that each district retains control over whether and how sex education is offered. The proposal is still under review following public comment at the State Board’s October meeting, where both supporters and opponents testified.
Lawmakers said the debate will continue at an oversight hearing scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, focused on the framework’s impact on parental rights and classroom instruction.
