State Rep. Jamie Thompson today introduced a plan that will provide parents with needed transparency about the conditions of school facilities in Michigan while working to prevent tragedies.

Thompson’s House Bills 5530-31 establish a death and injury registry that tracks incidents at school facilities and what caused them – allowing parents to see a facility’s safety record – and require the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to inspect all public and private schools for health and safety violations annually.

‘Lilliana’s Law’ and the ‘Never Again Law’ are named in honor of Lilliana Kerr, a 3-year-old girl who was tragically killed after an improperly secured folding table fell and struck her at a Wayne County Head Start program in 2017. Thompson has worked with Kerr’s mother, Tabitha, on the legislation since the start of the 2023-24 legislative term and represents a portion of Wayne County in the Michigan House.

“I stand with Tabitha Kerr and her fight. I am touched by her story and commend her for courageously advocating for what should be a commonsense, straightforward change to promote more safety within our school facilities,” said Thompson, of Brownstown. “As parents, we make sure things are safe when we have young children. We read up on defective toys or car seats. We make sure things that may become choking hazards are picked up off the floor and gates are up in doorways or stairways to prevent entrance to dangerous areas. Annual inspections at our school facilities will foster similar standards to ensure a safe environment, and a registry will keep parents informed as they evaluate school facilities for their children.

“The table that fell and killed Lilliana was a recalled version that should have been removed years earlier but wasn’t. There was no mechanism to identify that it was outdated and ensure it was removed. These bills promote greater responsibility to ensure that a tragedy like this never again happens at our schools – which we entrust every day with the safety of our kids.”

The inspection proposal allows for 14 days for a facility to report findings back to DHHS from when an inspection took place, along with a notice of any violations so work can take place to correct hazardous environments for children. Corrective work does not need to be completed or bid out by the end of the 14-day window, allowing for a practical timeline for school facilities to implement changes.

The bills will soon be formally read into the record.

PHOTO INFORMATION: State Rep. Jamie Thompson (seated) introduces House Bills 5530-31 on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Thompson’s bills establish a statewide death and injury registry that tracks incidents at school facilities and require the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to inspect all public and private schools for health and safety violations annually. Thompson was joined by Tabitha Kerr, whose daughter Lilliana was tragically killed after an improperly secured folding table fell and struck her at a Wayne County Head Start program in 2017, and former state Rep. Ryan Berman, who previously worked with Kerr to sponsor legislation calling for more transparency and safety procedures at school facilities to prevent tragedies.