Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, among other things, has released a training video that suggests educators can tell parents about their transgender child’s suicidal thoughts without revealing that the child is transgender. is opposed to

She called for the resignation of Michael Rice, Michigan’s public education supervisor and head of the state’s Department of Education, saying Gov. Gretchen Whitmer “has an obligation to give parents answers.”

Rice refused to resign. His job is likely to be safe, thanks to an unusual feature of the Michigan government that meant isolating them from the politics of the moment.

Its board is dominated by Democrats, 5-2, with one vacancy. Republicans Tom McMillin and Nikki Snyder are calling for Rice to resign. But Democrat Vice Chair Pamela Pugh, who is running for re-election this year, said she “absolutely” supports Rice.

She called Dixon’s complaints, which have been echoed by Republicans in the state Senate, “the same politicization of our children that we’ve seen in the last few years.”

She also said, “The spirit that was being propagated in that training was, ‘What can educators do to ensure that every child is supported in school?’ Is it?” I support it.

The training was about “discussions about the real-life experiences of LGBTQ+ students, state and federal laws, research-based best practices, and sensitive situations school districts encounter,” the Department of Education said in a release.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Dixon said the video was “proof that our school has lost its way.” Decided to be a laboratory.

It’s “not an LGBTQ issue,” she argued. ”

But there’s another Michigan government quirk that’s important here. State departments of education may have important administrative responsibilities, but they have limited ability to set policy.

First released last week by conservative activist Christopher Ruffo, the video is one of the department’s professional development products.

These are also optional.

“One of the irony of this whole video is that it is just guidance,” said Joshua Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University who has worked extensively with the state Department of Education. increase. “MDE has hundreds, if not thousands, of these videos on the internet.”

He said there is state guidance on what situations teachers must report and to whom.