DETROIT \u2014 A new Michigan law aims to ensure that foster youth in the state receive an education that builds toward a high school diploma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The law, signed Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, comes nearly two years after NBC News exposed<\/a> an educational crisis that had forced vulnerable teens to repeat classes they took while living in state-funded residential facilities, delaying graduation for some and leading others to drop out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The law<\/a> will, for the first time, require the state to provide children in foster care with \u201can education that prioritizes meeting the graduation requirements\u201d to earn a diploma. Until now, the state had placed children in residential facilities that were required only to provide \u201cappropriate educational services.\u201d That vague description meant some students took substandard classes that didn\u2019t count toward graduation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some were enrolled in classes they\u2019d already taken. Some discovered that their transcripts were missing or incomplete. Others were pulled out midsemester to move to a new home without consideration for whether they\u2019d be able to finish their coursework. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re so excited,\u201d said Saba Gebrai, the program director for the Park West Foundation, which supports the youth-led advocacy organization that lobbied for the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe kids have been asking for a real education,\u201d she said, and now \u201cthere will be no confusion about what students should be doing to graduate from high school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law won\u2019t take effect until next year, but Gebrai said advocates have been urging the state to start amending its contracts with residential facilities to reflect the new educational expectations. A spokesman with the state Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The law is part of a three-bill package that state Rep. Stephanie A. Young, a Detroit Democrat, introduced last year after seeing what she called \u201ca truly disturbing news report<\/a>\u201d about the issue from NBC News. Whitmer signed the first two bills last month. One requires the state to track and report data<\/a> on foster youths\u2019 education. The other compels the state to \u201cregularly review<\/a>\u201d educational programs in residential facilities to ensure they meet public school standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis could be a game-changer,\u201d Young said. \u201cNow, students don\u2019t have to worry about, \u2018Is this class going to help me graduate?\u2019 That\u2019s built into the system. It\u2019s built into the law now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The NBC News article \u201cput a fire under me,\u201d to make these changes, she said. Until seeing that report, \u201cI didn\u2019t know this was happening.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n