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Schools must give up attorney-client privilege to qualify for safety funds

Dan Reed/Flickr
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CC BY-NC 2.0

School districts that refused millions of dollars in state safety grants because of strings that were attached are pondering their next steps after the Michigan Supreme Court refused to consider their legal challenge.

The Supreme Court left standing a provision that requires school districts to relinquish attorney-client privilege in any investigation following a school shooting or mass casualty event – if they want to get state school safety grants.

Peter Spadafore is with the Michigan Association of School Administrators. He says the law leaves a lot of confusion over defendants’ rights and other ramifications.

“Every superintendent I know would do anything to keep their students safe, but last year 70 percent of the districts turned the money down, not out of indifference but because the fine print creates risks no responsible leader can accept.”

Spadafore says schools are trying to keep similar language out of the next state budget.

There is also a federal court challenge that was put on hold while the state case played out.