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Governor Engler is expected to sign a bill that would allow public schools to search students' lockers.
The legislation is in part a response to the discovery of a pipe bomb near Holland Woods Middle School in Port Huron last year. Four boys subsequently were charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Although many schools already have established policies regarding locker searches, many legislators cited a need for the state to address the issue with a new law.
"This right is not in state statute, and we feel we need a more sound basis on which these policies are carried out," the bill's sponsor, Rep. Lauren Hager (R-Port Huron), told The Detroit News.
"Some school districts have been calling for clarification for years," House Speaker Chuck Perricone (R-Kalamazoo) told the News.
Critics of the bill claim schools already search lockers, and the bill is "feel-good legislation."
"It gives the illusion we're actually doing something when we're not," Sen. Burton Leland (D-Detroit) told the News. "It's phony."
Others insisted that the state should avoid becoming involved in the matter and defer to the policies of local districts.
"Once again, we're stepping on the toes of the local control issue," Rep. Irma Clark (D-Detroit) told the News. "We are micromanaging school business."
