State Rep. Peter Lucido, R-Shelby Twp., plans to introduce a bill next week requiring high school graduates to pass the same citizenship test immigrants take. Students would need to score 60% or higher on the test to receive their diplomas. Lucido says that he hopes the exam will encourage participation and increase voter turnout for elections. If passed, the law would be in effect for the 2016-17 school year.
Lucido says he was fortunate 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.”
Arizona passed a similar law last week, and according to Lucido, a number of other states are following in its footsteps. A 1976 statute already requires students to take a government course in order to graduate.
Lucido says that the cost to the schools would be minimal because the test already exists and can be implemented directly in classrooms.
