Senate Bill 162: Lowers Compulsory Attendance Age from 6 to 5

Author:
Senator Irma Clark-Coleman

Summary:
S.B. 162 lowers the compulsory age to 5 for all children in Michigan and also provides that kindergarten is mandatory.

Three bills currently in the Michigan legislature would expand the age of compulsory attendance for children in the state by an additional three years. This means three more years for the public school officials to have authority over homeschoolers!

Senate Bill 162 will lower the compulsory attendance age from 6 to 5. It will also make kindergarten mandatory. Senate Bill 11 and House Bill 4042 would raise the age of compulsory attendance from where it is currently at age 16 to age 18.

We are working closely with INCH, legislative staff, and the Home School Legislative Action Committee and will let you know when action is needed.

Status:

2/6/2007

(Senate) Referred to Education Committee

HSLDA’s Position:
HSLDA is opposed this bill.

Action Requested:
None requested at this time.

Background:
Many education experts have concluded that beginning a child’s formal education too early may actually result in burnout and poor scholastic performance later.

Lowering the compulsory attendance age erodes the authority of parents who are in the best position to determine when their child’s formal education should begin.

Another significant impact of expanding the compulsory attendance age would be an inevitable tax increase to pay for more classroom space and teachers to accommodate the additional students compelled to attend public schools. When California raised the age of compulsory attendance, unwilling students were so disruptive that new schools had to be built just to handle them and their behavior problems, all at the expense of the taxpayer.

For more information, see our issue analysis page on compulsory attendance.

Other Resources

March-22-2007—Michigan—Calls Needed to Oppose Expansion of State Control Over Education

February-12-2007—Michigan—Calls Needed to Stop Mandatory Kindergarten

February-15-2007—Michigan—Calls Needed to Oppose Expansion of State Control Over Education

Bill Text    (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)