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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2479 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 705 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Todd M. Smola |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act to promote healthy culture and climate within schools. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Todd M. Smola1st Hampden1/16/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2479 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 705 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Smola of Warren, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 705) of Todd |
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| 19 | 19 | | M. Smola that school administrators consider alternatives to suspension or expulsion of certain |
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| 20 | 20 | | students. Education. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 580 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act to promote healthy culture and climate within schools. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 Section 37H3/4 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2Edition, is hereby amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting in place thereof the |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3following:- |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 "(b) Any principal, headmaster, superintendent or person acting as a decision-maker at a |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5student meeting or hearing, when deciding the consequences for the student, shall consider ways |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6to re-engage the student in the learning process; and shall not suspend or expel a student until |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7alternative remedies have been employed and their use and results documented, following and in |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8direct response to a specific incident or incidents, unless specific reasons are documented as to |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9why such alternative remedies are unsuitable or counter-productive, except, however, in cases |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10where the student’s continued presence in school would pose a specific, documentable concern 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11about the infliction of serious bodily injury or other serious harm upon another person while in |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12school or has caused a significant disruption to the learning environment for other students. |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13Alternative remedies may include, but shall not be limited to: (i) mediation; (ii) conflict |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14resolution; (iii) restorative justice; and (iv) collaborative problem solving. The principal, |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15headmaster, superintendent or person acting as a decision-maker shall also implement school- or |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16district-wide models to re-engage students in the learning process which shall include but not be |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17limited to: (i) positive behavioral interventions and supports models and (ii) trauma sensitive |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18learning models; provided, however, that school- or district-wide models shall not be considered |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19a direct response to a specific incident." |
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