Lawmaker: Inspect Mich. Schools Every 5 Years

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - A state lawmaker inspired by the death of a Williamston High School student says he's working on legislation that would require school inspections every five years.

Rep. Mark Meadows, a Democrat from East Lansing, says the inspections would carry a cost. But he tells the Lansing State Journal that "the loss of one life is the loss of one too many."

The legislation would require that every school district or school building authority ensure that each school building under its control is inspected and within code by 2014. After that, the law would require inspection of school buildings every five years.

Fourteen-year-old Gabriel Corbett was killed in October when a wall collapsed in a locker room at Williamston High, east of Lansing. Witnesses say he was doing pull-ups on the wall, which didn't reach the ceiling.

A student told police the kids knew the wall wobbled and was in poor shape. But, District finance chief Steve Cook said there had been no reports of structural problems in the locker room, which was built in 1990.

There was no immediate comment about the inspection proposal from the Michigan Association of School Administrators.

TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.