Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H546 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2933 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 546
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Marjorie C. Decker
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to ensure equitable access to education, including special education services, for all
13	13	students in Massachusetts.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marjorie C. Decker25th Middlesex1/16/2025 1 of 4
17	17	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2933 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
18	18	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 546
19	19	By Representative Decker of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 546) of
20	20	Marjorie C. Decker for legislation to ensure equitable access to education. Education.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act to ensure equitable access to education, including special education services, for all
27	27	students in Massachusetts.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. Section 1I of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
31	31	2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the fifth paragraph the following
32	32	3paragraph: -
33	33	4 In order for the department to: address educational inequities through a data-driven
34	34	5approach; report data in a manner that specifies the demographics of students facing the most
35	35	6significant inequities; and ensure that educational inequities can be effectively identified and
36	36	7addressed; The department shall annually analyze and publish in an easily accessible and user
37	37	8friendly manner the student-specific data provided by school committees and charter schools
38	38	9pursuant to: section 1I of Chapter 69; sections 37G, 2 of 4 10 37H, 37O, 37P, and 89 of Chapter
39	39	1071 of the General Laws; sections 3 and 7 of Chapter 71A of the General Laws; section 6 of
40	40	11Chapter 71B of the General Laws; section 2A of Chapter 72 of the General Laws; statewide
41	41	12assessment data utilized as a basis for competency determinations pursuant to section 1D of 2 of 4
42	42	13chapter 69 of the General Laws; and any other data required by the federal office of education,
43	43	14provided that said data required by the federal department of education is also student-specific
44	44	15data and can be cross-tabulated. The department shall provide said data in a manner that can be
45	45	16easily cross-tabulated by, at a minimum, the following student status and categories: racial and
46	46	17ethnic group; gender; socioeconomic status; high needs status; English learner status; category of
47	47	18disability; and homeless children and youth, if applicable. The information shall be presented
48	48	19statewide and also disaggregated by school committee, charter school, and individual school in a
49	49	20manner that is anonymized and does not reveal personally identifiable information about an
50	50	21individual student. Publication shall include, but need not be limited to, availability on the
51	51	22department's worldwide web site.
52	52	23 SECTION 2. Said section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is further amended by
53	53	24striking out, in line 239, the word “and”.
54	54	25 SECTION 3. Said section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby further
55	55	26amended by inserting after the word “learners”, in line 241, the following words:-- ; and (i) The
56	56	27number of children, by grade level, within each disability category receiving specific special
57	57	28education services, including but not limited to: each related service; assistive technology,
58	58	29including but not limited to augmentative and alternative communication; supplementary aids
59	59	30and services; positive behavioral interventions and supports; behavioral intervention plans;
60	60	31vocational education; travel training; and community-based transition 3 of 4 services; provided
61	61	32further that school districts and charter schools shall only be required to provide said information
62	62	33regarding number of children receiving specific special education services when the department
63	63	34provides school committees with an online web-based IEP application aligned with the special
64	64	35education services requiring reporting under this section. 3 of 4
65	65	36 SECTION 4. Section 6 of Chapter 71B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
66	66	37Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the first sentence the following sentences:-
67	67	38School committees shall also annually report to the department, pursuant to regulations
68	68	39promulgated by the department, delivery of specific special education services by each major
69	69	40racial and ethnic group, gender, socioeconomic status, English learner status and whether the
70	70	41child or youth is homeless by age level, including but not limited to delivery of: each related
71	71	42service; assistive technology, including but not limited to augmentative and alternative
72	72	43communication; supplementary aids and services; positive behavioral interventions and supports;
73	73	44behavioral intervention plans; vocational education; travel training; and community-based
74	74	45transition services. This annual reporting by school committees to the department shall only be
75	75	46required when the department provides school committees with an online web-based IEP
76	76	47application aligned with the special education services requiring reporting under this section.
77	77	48This information shall be cross-tabulated by, at a minimum, the following student status and
78	78	49categories: each major racial and ethnic group; gender; socioeconomic status; homeless children
79	79	50and youth; and English learner status. The information shall be presented statewide and also
80	80	51disaggregated by school committee, charter school, and individual school in a manner that is
81	81	52anonymized and does not reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.
82	82	53 SECTION 5. Said section 6 of said Chapter 71B, as so appearing, is hereby further
83	83	54amended by inserting after the word “assignment”, in line 8, the following words:-- or pattern of
84	84	55delivery of specific special education services. 4 of 4
85	85	56 SECTION 6. Said section 6 of said Chapter 71B of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
86	86	57hereby further amended by inserting after the word “distribution”, in line 10, the following
87	87	58words:-- or if there is a statistically significant increase in the rates of assignment of students 4 of 4
88	88	59with disabilities to substantially separate classrooms for any racial or ethnic group in any of the
89	89	6010 years following the Governor’s Declaration of a State of Emergency due to COVID-19 in
90	90	61March 2020, as compared to the 2018-19 school year.