Cellphone bans, free meals, student funding: What to know as Michigan heads back to school

Floral backpacks, Owala water bottles and Air Jordan T-shirts appear to be a hit this school year, according to one education reporter's not-so-scientific observations of students headed back to school over the past week.

And now that it's after Labor Day, it's time in Michigan for students to pack their trendy water bottles and notebooks inside backpacks, and go back to school.

Some schools, including schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, already opened doors and kicked off class last week . Though state law forbids public schools from starting before Labor Day, districts and charters can petition for waivers to start earlier. Flint Community Schools has one of the earliest schedules, routinely starting in early August.

Here's what you should know as the school year begins:

1. Cellphones might be banned, depending on the school

Cellphone bans are also becoming trendy , as schools grapple with more distracted students.

While some states have moved to ban phones at all public schools, Michigan lawmakers have not. That means whether a phone is banned at your child's school depends on that school's policy. Some schools allow phones during lunch or recess, while others ban phones until the end of the school day.

2. Michigan's education budget this year is controversial

Whether the budget passed by state lawmakers at the end of June provides public schools with the funding they need depends on who you ask .

Some lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer hailed the investments in the budget, while school superintendents interviewed by the Detroit Free Press decried some of the choices in the budget, notably a cut to mental health funding and no increase in per-pupil foundation funding. Lawmakers argued a budget maneuver that frees up nearly $600 million for districts that they would have otherwise had to pay into teachers' retirement fund is equivalent to a per-pupil increase.

3. Meals are free again for all students

Once again, any public school student, regardless of income, can receive free lunch and breakfast at their school , if their public school has a food service program that participates (most do).

The recently passed state budget includes an additional $40 million for universally free breakfasts and lunches in public schools, for a total of $200 million. According to the governor's office, the move would continue to save families an estimated $850 a year that would otherwise go to food.

4. There's work to do to help Michigan's youngest readers

Michigan's third graders ― at a stage of development when stakes are high to master reading — slid in those scores on the state M-STEP test compared with 2023, while elementary schoolers largely improved in math, according to data released last week by the Michigan Department of Education.

The state test scores, from assessments students took in the spring, show third- and fourth-grade scores haven't rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. While 45% of third graders scored proficient or higher on the test in 2019, this year's scores show that number dipped below 40% for the first time, a grim milestone for students, educators and policymakers.

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5. School isn't immune from election season

Remember that your ballot this year won't just be a choice for president. In Michigan, local school board elections are held on the even year in the November election, according to the Michigan Association of School Boards .

Detroit's school board could see some new faces — Chalkbeat Detroit reported on the 22 candidates running for a spot on the board of Detroit Public Schools Community District .

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cellphone bans, free meals, student funding: What to know as Michigan heads back to school