GRANT, Mich. — A health center at Grant Middle School will stay open, but the company that operates it says the agreement comes with stipulations about a controversial mural.
At a meeting on Monday, members of the district’s board of education unanimously approved a new contract with Family Health Care, the clinic’s provider.
Stipulations of the agreement include removing a mural created by students in the center’s lobby, which features LGBTQ+ imagery, by the end of October, according to Family Health Care.
Family Health Care declined to speak on camera about the decision, but in a statement said it was clear during negotiations that the mural was important to the board, so they “reluctantly” agreed to the compromise to guarantee students in Grant would continue to have access to medical and behavioral health care.
Board members did not state whether this would happen, but before their vote, they mentioned the district’s superintendent, Brett Zuver, and board president, Ken Thorne, must approve any decorations, like artwork, at the center under the new contract.
FOX 17 tried to clarify with Zuver afterwards, who said he needed to talk further with Family Health Care about what this meant for the piece. When a copy of the agreement was requested, he said a Freedom of Information Act request would likely need to be filed.
“I can’t say enough how excited we are to be able to offer this for our families,” said Zuver. “We’ve got a lot of families who count on this and a lot of our students who count on this, so it’s a great thing.”
READ MORE: Grant families, faculty furious after school board votes to close health center
In June, four board members unexpectedly voted to close the clinic, which first opened in 2010.
They did not say why, but some parents have speculated it was partially due to a mural in the clinic’s lobby, which has LGBTQ+ imagery.
The move led to backlash, including a recall petition that a community member filed last month.
READ MORE: Recall petitions filed against Grant school board members who voted to close health clinic
Family Health Care says it must also increase transparency, provide regular updates to the board on the center’s operations, and formalize the board’s involvement with the clinic’s community advisory council, which all child and adolescent health centers must have as part of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) guidelines.
The agreement does not change the way services are provided, and its language follows all program requirements set forth by MDHHS, according to Family Health Care.
“We are happy that the Grant School Board has approved a contract that allows us to move forward and continue providing easy access to high-quality health care at the school-based clinic,” said Alan Neushwander, spokesperson for Family Health Care. “While it is disappointing that the mural must be removed by the end of October, it’s a compromise we reluctantly were willing to accept to ensure the children of the Grant community continue to have access to medical and behavioral health care.”
The full statement from Family Health Care can be found below:
