Green School Bill Another Black Mark for Legislators

The Green Schools Bill (Senate Bill 904) was passed 37-0 by the Michigan Senate Dec. 10, 2009. While students at public schools in the state chronically underperform (Detroit Public Schools students performing the worst in the nation), the Michigan Senate has concluded that it is a priority for students to be encouraged to spend more time on politically correct green activities.

SB 904 establishes three levels of environmental 'excellence' at schools: green, emerald and evergreen. Students or schools must perform at least two activities from each category as specified in the bill. The permissible activities include such things as a waste-free lunch program, performing energy audits at student homes and establishing or maintaining a natural "Michigan Garden Project" with native plants. The number of activities performed determines what level the school receives.

The future of the state looks more grim than green if our legislators believe that environmental indoctrination in our public schools is what is needed to fix our education problem. If we want our children to truly understand and address environmental issues in the future, they need a solid background in science and math — not organic gardening.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.