Lawmaker Wants High School Students To Pass Same Civics Test As Immigrants To Graduate

SHELBY TOWNSHIP (WWJ) - Immigrants have to pass a civics test before they can become American citizens. State Representative Peter Lucido of Shelby Township thinks high school students should be able to pass the same test before they can graduate from high school.

"... when you are going to vote about critical things and people to serve in government it is a shame that we don't have a basic understanding of the government that will serve us," said Lucido.

He wants to make sure that people are aware that "if we have a government by the people and for the people that we need to have the people know about our government."

Arizona was the first state to do it.

He says students would have to answer at least 60 percent of the questions correctly to graduate.

Lucido's plan calls for students to be required to pass the new civics test starting in the 2016-2017 school year. Currently, it's required that high school students take and pass an American Government class to graduate.