LANSING, Mich. – Testimonies were heard at the Michigan Senate Education Committee on Wednesday that focused on a proposed bill aimed at ensuring students are followed through the process of transferring schools.
Senate Bill 492 was introduced by State Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) after three children were found abandoned at a Pontiac home in February, living in deplorable conditions.
Kelli Bryant, the children’s mother, was charged with child abuse and is scheduled to appear in a jury trial for allegedly abandoning her children for years.
Click here for our full coverage on the case.
According to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard’s testimony, Bryant informed her children’s school that they were transferring to a different school district.
The school pulled the children out of their system and sent their information to the new school district that Bryant said the children were going to attend.
However, Bryant reportedly never enrolled her children in the new school. This caused a miscommunication with the two schools, and the children were not attending school during the years they were left at home alone.
“There was no follow-up or safeguards in place to ensure they were actually enrolled elsewhere,” said Bouchard. “They simply vanished from the system and didn’t fall through a crack; they fell through a cavern.”
Bouchard said the proposed bill would require a school to have confirmation from the new school district that the student has been enrolled before transferring information and disenrolling the student. He said this will ensure that at least one school retains responsibility during the process.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald also provided testimony in the hearing on Wednesday, calling students in a situation like this “ghost children.”
She said this bill highlights the gaps in the school system and how easy it can be for children to slip through the cracks.
McDonald also said the bill would address chronic absenteeism, as she stated that thousands of children in Michigan miss at least 10 days of school in an academic year.
“The bill is a home run, that’s a no-brainer,” said State Sen. John Damoose (R) before asking McDonald if there were any updates on the children’s conditions.
McDonald said the three Pontiac children are thriving with no long-term medical issues.
Sheriff also noted that the children received over $100,000 in donations, and a trust fund was created for the children.