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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4102 FILED ON: 1/25/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3811
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Antonio F. D. Cabral
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to require school attendance up to age 18 or until graduation.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Antonio F. D. Cabral13th Bristol1/25/2023Christopher Hendricks11th Bristol1/26/2023Paul A. Schmid, III8th Bristol2/1/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/1/2023David Allen Robertson19th Middlesex2/6/2023Michelle M. DuBois10th Plymouth2/7/2023 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4102 FILED ON: 1/25/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3811
By Representative Cabral of New Bedford, a petition (subject to Joint Rule 12) of Antonio F. D.
Cabral and others relative to requiring school attendance up to age 18 or until graduation.
Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
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An Act to require school attendance up to age 18 or until graduation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 1 of chapter 76 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by:
3 (a)striking out, in lines 1 to 2, the words “between the minimum and maximum ages
4established for school attendance by the board of education” and inserting in place thereof the
5following words:
6 “ages of 6 and 18, having completed at least the twelfth grade, high school equivalency
7test, or whichever comes first”.; and
8 (b)inserting after the word “herewith”, in line 58, the following words:
9 “, provided that no student over the age of 16 shall face criminal penalties for failure to
10attend school through the mandatory age for school attendance”. 2 of 4
11 SECTION 2. Section 1B of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
12amended by inserting before the period, in line 120, the following words:
13 “, provided, however, that all children under the age of 18 shall be required to attend
14school if they have not graduated from high school or completed the high school equivalency
15test”.
16 SECTION 3. Chapter 76 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
17inserting after section 21 the following section:
18 Section 22. Commission to Study Barriers to High School Graduation.
19 (a)Establishment of Commission. There shall be a special commission, referred to as
20the ‘High School Graduation Commission’. Said commission shall—
21 (1)investigate and study barriers to high school graduation; and
22 (2)make recommendations regarding the identification of students at risk of dropping
23out of high school and the targeting of services and programs that will ensure all students can
24graduate from high school.
25 (b)Members.
26 (1)The commission shall be chaired by the secretary of education or the secretary’s
27designee.
28 (2)The commissioner of the department of higher education or the commissioner’s
29designee and the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education or the
30commissioner’s designee shall each be members. 3 of 4
31 (3)The governor shall appoint 4 members, one of whom shall be nominated by the
32Massachusetts Teachers Association and one of whom shall be nominated by the American
33Federation of Teachers of Massachusetts.
34 (4)The speaker of the house shall appoint one member and the senate president shall
35appoint one member.
36 (c)Reporting Requirements. The commission shall report its findings and any
37legislation necessary to implement said findings to the governor, the clerks of the senate and
38house of representatives, the senate and house of representatives committees on ways and means,
39the senate and house of representatives committees on education by December 31, 2022. The
40commission report shall include but not be limited to: an analysis of the student populations who
41are at the highest risk of dropping out, mechanisms to identify students who are at risk of
42dropping out, barriers to high school graduation and evidence based services that reduce and
43eliminate barriers to high school graduation. In making its recommendations the commission
44shall consider among other issues—
45 (1)grades, attendance patterns, disciplinary issues, family and environmental factors,
46breaks or gaps in education, teen parenthood, limited English proficiency and disabilities that
47may indicate a student is at risk of not completing high school;
48 (2)mechanisms and information technology that can be used to identify students at
49risk of dropping out and track students’ progress once identified;
50 (3)appropriate benchmarks for periodic review of students’ progress; 4 of 4
51 (4)wrap around support services designed to effectively target and alleviate or
52eliminate barriers for students completing high school;
53 (5)methods to reengage students who have left school;
54 (6)dedicated tutoring and academic services for students who have gaps in education
55as a result of moving, illness, absences, disciplinary issues or immigration;
56 (7)additional preparation and resources to pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive
57Assessment System (MCAS) or any successor thereto for students who have not passed
58examinations required for graduation after two attempts;
59 (8)emotional support services and resources for students at risk of dropping out; and
60 (9)recommendations for mechanisms to emphasize the importance of high school
61graduation for all students.
62 SECTION 4. Effective Date. Sections 1 to 3 of this Act shall become operative on
63August 1, 2024.