SINGLE-GENDER EDUCATION H.B. 4264 (H-5) & H.B. 6247 (H-1):
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
House Bill 4264 (Substitute H-5 as passed by the House)
House Bill 6247 (Substitute H-1 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative LaMar Lemmons, III (H.B. 4264)
Representative Bill McConico (H.B. 6247)
House Committee: Education
Senate Committee: Education
Date Completed: 7-25-06
CONTENT
House Bill 4264 (H-5) would amend the Revised School Code to permit a first class school district to establish and maintain a single-gender school, class, or program under certain conditions.
House Bill 6247 (H-1) would amend Article 4 (Educational Institutions) of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to specify that the article would not prohibit a school board from establishing and maintaining a single-gender school, class, or program as provided under the Revised School Code.
House Bill 4264 (H-5) is tie-barred to Senate Bill 1296 (Public Act 303 of 2006, which amended the Revised School Code to permit the establishment of a single-gender school, class, or program within a public school district or public school academy). The House bill also is tie-barred to Senate Bill 1305 or House Bill 6247 (which are similar proposals). House Bill 6247 (H-1) is tie-barred to Senate Bill 1296 and House Bill 4264.
House Bill 4264 (H-5)
The bill would permit the board of a first class school district to establish and maintain a single-gender school, class, or program within a school if the district also made available to pupils a substantially equal coeducational school, class, or program and a substantially equal school, class, or program for pupils of the other gender, if practicable.
The school district could not require any of its pupils to participate in the single-gender school, class, or program, and the school board would have to ensure that participation in the school, class, or program was wholly voluntary. A pupil's participation would not be considered voluntary unless the district also made available to the pupil a substantially equal coeducational school, class, or program.
(Under the Revised School Code, a first class school district is a school district with at least 100,000 pupils enrolled on the most recent pupil membership count day. Currently, the only first class school district in the State is the Detroit Public Schools.)
House Bill 6247 (H-1)
Article 4 of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act prohibits an educational institution from discriminating against a person because of religion, race, color, national origin, or sex. The bill specifies that Article 4 would not prohibit the board of a school district or intermediate
school district or the board of directors of a public school academy from establishing and maintaining a single-gender school, class, or program within a school as provided under Sections 475 and 1146 of the Revised School Code.
(House Bill 4264 (H-5) would add Section 475. Senate Bill 1296 amended Section 1146.)
Proposed MCL 380.475 (H.B. 4264) Legislative Analyst: Curtis Walker
Proposed MCL 37.2404a (H.B. 6247)
FISCAL IMPACT
House Bill 4264 (H-5)
State: The bill would have no fiscal impact on State government.
Local: A district of the first class (Detroit Public Schools) choosing to establish a single-gender school, class, or program could see increased costs if the establishment of such single-gender instruction (along with the mandated provision of substantially equal coeducational instruction, and substantially equal instruction for the other gender if practicable) would require the district to hire additional personnel for the school, class, or program.
House Bill 6247 (H-1)
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers-Coty
Bill Bowerman
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. hb4264&6247/0506