Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S2741 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2741
2	2	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
3	3	_______________
4	4	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
5	5	(2023-2024)
6	6	_______________
7	7	SENATE, April 22, 2024.
8	8	The committee on Education, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill,
9	9	Senate, No. 240) of Nick Collins for legislation relative to mental health education;
10	10	(accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 247) of Cynthia Stone Creem and Susannah M. Whipps for
11	11	legislation relative to remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning;
12	12	(accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 248) of Cynthia Stone Creem and Vanna Howard for
13	13	legislation to promote social-emotional learning; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 276) of
14	14	Barry R. Finegold and Vanna Howard for legislation relative to safety and violence education for
15	15	students (the SAVE Students Act); (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 333) of Jacob R. Oliveira
16	16	and Sal N. DiDomenico for legislation relative to prescription opioid abuse prevention
17	17	education; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 342) of Pavel M. Payano for legislation relative to
18	18	substance use education in public schools; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 346) of Rebecca L.
19	19	Rausch, Lydia Edwards and James B. Eldridge for legislation to ensuring access to mental health
20	20	supports in K-12 schools; and (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 350) of Michael F. Rush and
21	21	Paul McMurtry for legislation relative to physical and social recess in schools, report the
22	22	accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2741).
23	23	For the committee,
24	24	Jason M. Lewis 1 of 5
25	25	FILED ON: 4/20/2024
26	26	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2741
27	27	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
28	28	_______________
29	29	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
30	30	(2023-2024)
31	31	_______________
32	32	An Act to promote social emotional learning and the mental and behavioral health of students.
33	33	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
34	34	of the same, as follows:
35	35	1 SECTION 1. (a) There shall be a task force established to study and provide
36	36	2recommendations on a statewide birth through higher education framework for social emotional
37	37	3learning and mental and behavioral health.
38	38	4 The task force shall consist of 23 members: 1 of whom shall be the secretary of education
39	39	5or a designee who shall serve as co-chair; 1 of whom shall be the secretary of health and human
40	40	6services or a designee who shall serve as co-chair; 2 of whom shall be the chairs of the joint
41	41	7committee on education or their designees; 2 of whom shall be the chairs of the joint committee
42	42	8on higher education or their designees, 1 of whom shall be a member of the safe and supportive
43	43	9schools commission appointed by the safe and supportive schools commission; 1 of whom shall
44	44	10be a school superintendent appointed by the Massachusetts Association of School
45	45	11Superintendents; 1 of whom shall be a school psychologist appointed by the Massachusetts
46	46	12School Psychologists Association; 1 of whom shall be a school adjustment counselor or guidance
47	47	13counselor appointed by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association; 1 of whom shall be a
48	48	14member of the American College Counseling Association appointed by the American College 2 of 5
49	49	15Counseling Association; 1 of whom shall be an advocate with experience in education,
50	50	16behavioral health, and the impact of trauma on learning appointed by Massachusetts Advocates
51	51	17for Children; 1 of whom shall be appointed by the Massachusetts League of Community Health
52	52	18Centers; 1 of whom shall be appointed by the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention; 1
53	53	19of whom shall be appointed by Strategies for Children; 1 of whom shall be a school nurse
54	54	20,appointed by the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization, Inc.; 1 of whom shall be appointed
55	55	21by the Massachusetts Center on Child Wellbeing & Trauma; 1 of whom shall be a social worker
56	56	22appointed by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers; 1 of
57	57	23whom shall be a appointed by the Children’s Mental Health Campaign; 1 of whom shall be
58	58	24appointed by the Behavioral Health Integrated Resources for Children Project Advisory Council;
59	59	251 of whom shall be a parent of a current student appointed by the Parent/Professional Advocacy
60	60	26League; 1 of whom shall be a student member of the state student advisory council appointed by
61	61	27the state student advisory council; and 1 of whom shall be appointed by the Federation for
62	62	28Children with Special Needs.
63	63	29 The task force shall study and provide recommendations on the following: (i) the
64	64	30development of a framework for integrating equitable, accessible, and culturally and
65	65	31linguistically sustaining social emotional learning in educational settings from birth through
66	66	32higher education into curriculum; (ii) guiding principles and strategies related to providing social
67	67	33emotional supports for students in schools; (iii) implementing targeted and evidenced-based
68	68	34supports for students to meet social and behavioral expectations aligned with social emotional
69	69	35learning competencies; (iv) developing and promoting professional development for school and
70	70	36district staff to recognize and respond to mental and behavioral health challenges that may arise
71	71	37during in-person learning; (v) implementing strategies related to youth suicide prevention; (vi) 3 of 5
72	72	38identifying and developing partnerships between school districts and charter schools and
73	73	39agencies and community organizations for referring students who require additional support to
74	74	40health, behavioral health, substance use, and social support services; and (vii) how online
75	75	41advertising and social media affect students’ short- and long-term physical, emotional, and
76	76	42cognitive development.
77	77	43 (b) The task force shall convene beginning not later than 90 days after the effective date
78	78	44of this act and meet not fewer than 4 times within the first year prior to submitting its findings
79	79	45and recommendations; provided, that after the first year, the commission shall meet at a
80	80	46frequency determined by the co-chairs of the commission until the submission of the findings
81	81	47and recommendations or two years from the initial convening, whichever comes first. The task
82	82	48force shall submit its findings and recommendations, including development of shared language,
83	83	49identification of best practices, and mechanisms to monitor progress, to the executive office of
84	84	50education, the executive office of health and human services, the clerks of the house of
85	85	51representatives and the senate, the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery,
86	86	52and the joint committee on education not later than 2 years after the effective date of this act.
87	87	53 SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, not later than
88	88	54December 1, 2026, the department of elementary and secondary education shall, in collaboration
89	89	55with the executive office of health and human services, the department of mental health, and in
90	90	56consultation with the task force established to study a statewide birth through higher education
91	91	57framework for social emotional learning and mental and behavioral health, experts in childhood
92	92	58mental health, and educators from public elementary and secondary schools, develop and publish
93	93	59guidance for supporting the social emotional development and mental health of students in
94	94	60kindergarten through twelfth grade. The guidance shall include, but not be limited to, the 4 of 5
95	95	61following: (i) guiding principles and strategies related to student social and emotional health and
96	96	62wellbeing; (ii) integrating equitable, accessible, and culturally and linguistically sustaining social
97	97	63emotional learning skills into student learning experiences; (iii) strategies related to suicide
98	98	64prevention; (iv) strategies to develop students’ social emotional learning competencies, including
99	99	65self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision
100	100	66making; and (v) how online advertising and social media affect students’ short- and long-term
101	101	67physical, emotional, and cognitive development. The guidance shall be able to be integrated into
102	102	68the general academic curricula, including the promotion of mental and behavioral health during
103	103	69school time and in extracurricular activities. A school district shall consider the guidance if it
104	104	70elects to integrate social emotional learning and mental and behavioral health into academic
105	105	71curricula.
106	106	72 SECTION 3. Section 1P of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
107	107	73Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the phrase, “inclusion of students with
108	108	74disabilities,” in lines 11-12, the following words: - “the influence of technology on the short- and
109	109	75long-term physical, emotional, and cognitive development of students.”
110	110	76 SECTION 4. Subsection (g) of section 1P of chapter 69 of General Laws, as appearing in
111	111	77the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 128-132, the words, "1 of
112	112	78whom shall be a former member of the behavioral health and public schools task force who
113	113	79participated in the development and statewide evaluation of the self-assessment tool; 1 of whom
114	114	80shall be a former member of the behavioral health and public schools task force with experience
115	115	81implementing the framework;" and inserting in place the following words:- “1 of whom shall
116	116	82have experience in implementing the self-assessment tool; 1 of whom shall have experience
117	117	83implementing the framework.” 5 of 5
118	118	84 SECTION 5. Subsection (b) of section 37Q of chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby
119	119	85amended by inserting after the first sentence the following sentence: - Each plan shall include, to
120	120	86the extent possible, a policy to identify and develop partnerships with community organizations
121	121	87and local and regional boards of public health to refer students to health, behavioral health,
122	122	88substance use, and social support services.
123	123	89 SECTION 6. Section 38G of chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by
124	124	90inserting after the word “styles,” in line 251, the following words: - “strategies to develop
125	125	91students’ social emotional learning competencies, including self-awareness, self-management,
126	126	92social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making,”
127	127	93 SECTION 7. Section 38G of chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by
128	128	94inserting after the word “styles,” in line 287, the following words: - “strategies to develop
129	129	95 students’ social emotional learning competencies, including self-awareness, self-
130	130	96management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.”