DETROIT – Should Michigan high school students be required to pass a civics test to graduate?
That’s the thinking behind a new bill that passed the house education committee this week.
The test would echo the civics portion of the naturalization test used by the United States Citizen and Immigration Services.
Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Township, introduced the bill.
“It is unfortunate that we are even at this point,” Lucido said. “I was fortunate enough to receive a good civics education, but today I’ve realized the students know more about a dollar menu than they do about their own government.”
A 1976 statute already requires students to take a government course in order to graduate, but Lucido questions how much the students are actually learning.
“It seems the wheels have fallen off the system as it relates to the significance of a proper civics education,” he said. “It is a right you have to be part of the political process and that is what our government is all about. Our students should be able to pass the same test required of the immigrants coming to this country and if they can’t, that’s on us. “
House Bill 4136 goes to the full House for a vote.