LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan is offering schools millions for safety and mental-health support this year, but the grants now come with a clause that has districts reading the fine print twice. 

With a Nov. 30 deadline approaching, districts must agree to waive attorney-client privilege and cooperate with a state investigation if a mass-casualty event happens on campus. The rule applies to the $214 million in per-pupil safety and mental-health grants in the current budget. 

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Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) told Bridge Michigan that the waiver clause wasn’t the Legislature’s idea at all. According to Camilleri, the wording came straight from “the governor’s office,” and her team did not budge on it during budget negotiations. 

 Camilleri said he’s now concerned districts might skip the funding entirely.

The requirement stems from continuing frustration over the 2021 Oxford High School shooting, when a third-party investigation stalled after many school employees declined to participate. Supporters say the new waiver is meant to prevent that kind of breakdown.

District leaders aren’t all convinced, however. Redford Union Superintendent Jasen Witt, whose children attended Oxford during the shooting, said the funds “should have no strings attached” and that lawmakers should address immunity laws directly rather than force districts into blanket waivers.

Attorneys advising schools have also raised concerns about how long the privilege would be waived and what counts as a “mass-casualty event.”

Lawmakers from both parties say a fix is being discussed, but it’s unclear whether anything will change before the application window closes. Lansing Public Schools voted to move forward despite the concerns, while other districts say they may rely on their own budgets rather than risk the legal exposure.

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With the clock ticking to Nov. 30, districts across Michigan are weighing whether the state’s safety dollars are worth the fine print attached.