Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H689 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. 1452 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 689
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Amy Mah Sangiolo
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 remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Amy Mah Sangiolo11th Middlesex1/15/2025 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1452 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 689
18	18	By Representative Sangiolo of Newton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 689) of
19	19	Amy Mah Sangiolo relative to the implementation of social and emotional learning curricula in
20	20	middle and high school athletic programs. 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 remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 Section 37O of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
30	30	2is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:-
31	31	3 (o) The department of elementary and secondary education shall publish, on or before
32	32	4June 30, 2024, guidelines for the implementation of social and emotional learning curricula in
33	33	5middle and high school athletic programs.
34	34	6 Such curricula shall include, but shall not be limited to, explicitly teaching students and
35	35	7coaches how to: (1) create safe, supportive and bias-free team cultures; (2) provide students age-
36	36	8appropriate leadership roles role in making decisions and carrying out responsibilities within the
37	37	9team framework, including empowering students to speak up and report behaviors that are
38	38	10contrary to a safe, supportive and bias-free culture; (3) formulate lessons and guidance that
39	39	11address hate, bias and negative behaviors to foster healthy, responsible norms on sports teams;
40	40	12(4) build and sustain positive relationships with others; and (5) develop such other skills that will 2 of 2
41	41	13assist them in overcoming physical, social, and emotional obstacles in athletic competition and in
42	42	14their lives, such as emotion and stress management, building and sustaining positive
43	43	15relationships with others, self-discipline and self-motivation, setting personal and collective
44	44	16goals, resisting negative social pressure, conflict resolution, ethical decision making and problem
45	45	17solving.
46	46	18 The guidelines shall be updated biennially. A school district shall consider the guidelines
47	47	19if it elects to integrate social emotional learning into its athletic programs. For purposes of this
48	48	20section, social and emotional learning shall mean the processes by which children acquire the
49	49	21knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to recognize and manage their emotions, demonstrate
50	50	22caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and
51	51	23constructively handle challenging social situations. The department of elementary and secondary
52	52	24education shall integrate the guidelines into the safe and supportive schools framework created
53	53	25pursuant to section 1P of chapter 69.