Snyder Signs Bill to Require Grades for Schools

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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law requirements that letter grades be issued for each public school in the state.

The new accountability system will begin in 2019 under the law enacted Friday.

The Republican governor, who leaves office next week, signed or vetoed scores of other bills Friday. He vetoed one that would have blocked any future attempts to force the disclosure of donors to nonprofits, including political groups whose sway has grown in elections.

He signed an environmental cleanup bill that Democrats say would make it harder to toughen the standard for protecting drinking water from certain toxic chemicals.

The law will require the state to use federal toxicity values when setting cleanup criteria for hazardous substances and take additional steps when upgrading standards. Republicans say it makes long-overdue updates to promote cleanup and reuse of abandoned industrial properties.