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Hundreds of Michigan school districts rejected school safety and mental health funding from the state after agreeing to new conditions for receiving the money.
In early December, 974 district and school leaders signed agreements saying they would waive privilege and agree to state investigations if a mass casualty event, like a school shooting, occurs. There previously had not been conditions for districts to receive the funding.
The funding is distributed to traditional school districts, intermediate school districts, charter schools, private schools, and the Michigan School for the Deaf. Public schools will receive funding in the amount of $374 per pupil, while private schools will receive $236 per student.
Data from the Michigan Department of Education shows that by the end of 2025, nearly half — or 462 that previously signed off — had rescinded those agreements. About 70% of the traditional school districts that agreed to the conditions, and 39% of the charter schools, changed their minds.
Many district leaders who signed the agreements did so reluctantly, in part because they said there was a lack of clarity in the wording. Some were even part of a lawsuit, involving dozens of school districts and officials, that sought to have the language struck from the budget. The plaintiff’s attorney, during a December court hearing, said the language is “exceedingly vague” and overly broad, and he said the budget doesn’t define what it means to waive any privilege.
The state budget Michigan lawmakers approved in October requires school districts to agree that if there is a mass casualty event in their schools, they will disclose information that would otherwise be legally protected in deadly emergencies. Districts must also agree to comprehensive state investigations.
A mass casualty event is defined in the state budget, in part, as an incident “resulting in significant injuries to not fewer than 3 individuals” or an incident resulting in fatalities.
The agreements were required this year in order to share in $321 million in funding that school districts can use for various functions, including hiring mental health professionals, training school staff on threat assessment and crisis communication, and purchasing safety infrastructure, such as cameras, door blocks, hardened vestibules, and window screening.
Michigan Judge Sima Patel upheld the language in the budget in a December ruling. The plaintiffs have since appealed, and the lawsuit is before the Michigan Court of Appeals.
The Woodhaven-Brownstown School District in Wayne County is one of the districts that rescinded the agreement.
“The reasons for this are consistent with the concerns presented in the lawsuit: the requirements … were overly vague, not clearly defined, and presented legal uncertainty that we didn’t feel we could responsibly accept,” Superintendent Mark Greathead wrote in an email to Chalkbeat.
“We look forward to the outcome in the Court of Appeals,” Greathead said. “In the meantime, we continue to provide a comprehensive approach to school safety and student mental health.”
Now, 512 districts and schools will share in the school safety and mental health funding. Bob Wheaton, spokesman for the MDE, told Chalkbeat Wednesday that the funding will be included in February state aid payments to schools.
Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, said the district had not rescinded the agreement the board approved in November.
“The district needs that funding for our student mental health support and additional security strategies,” Vitti said in an emailed response.
That sentiment was echoed in Dearborn Public Schools, which stuck with the original agreement.
“For Dearborn the funds were over $3 million and that supports not only safety and security but also social and emotional well being and school culture and climate,” said district spokesperson David Mustonen.
Lori Higgins is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at lhiggins@chalkbeat.org.
