Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S315 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 743 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 315
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Cynthia Stone Creem
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 :Cynthia Stone CreemNorfolk and Middlesex 1 of 2
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 743 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 315
18	18	By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 315) of Cynthia Stone Creem for
19	19	legislation relative to remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning.
20	20	Education.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE SENATE, NO. 247 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act to remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 Section 37O of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
32	32	2is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:-
33	33	3 (o) The department of elementary and secondary education shall publish, on or before
34	34	4June 30, 2025, guidelines for the implementation of social and emotional learning curricula in
35	35	5middle and high school athletic programs.
36	36	6 Such curricula shall include, but shall not be limited to, explicitly teaching students and
37	37	7coaches how to: (1) create safe, supportive and bias-free team cultures; (2) provide students age-
38	38	8appropriate leadership roles role in making decisions and carrying out responsibilities within the
39	39	9team framework, including empowering students to speak up and report behaviors that are 2 of 2
40	40	10contrary to a safe, supportive and bias-free culture; (3) formulate lessons and guidance that
41	41	11address hate, bias and negative behaviors to foster healthy, responsible norms on sports teams;
42	42	12(4) build and sustain positive relationships with others; and (5) develop such other skills that will
43	43	13assist them in overcoming physical, social, and emotional obstacles in athletic competition and in
44	44	14their lives, such as emotion and stress management, building and sustaining positive
45	45	15relationships with others, self-discipline and self-motivation, setting personal and collective
46	46	16goals, resisting negative social pressure, conflict resolution, ethical decision making and problem
47	47	17solving.
48	48	18 The guidelines shall be updated biennially. A school district shall consider the guidelines
49	49	19if it elects to integrate social emotional learning into its athletic programs. For purposes of this
50	50	20section, social and emotional learning shall mean the processes by which children acquire the
51	51	21knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to recognize and manage their emotions, demonstrate
52	52	22caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and
53	53	23constructively handle challenging social situations. The department of elementary and secondary
54	54	24education shall integrate the guidelines into the safe and supportive schools framework created
55	55	25pursuant to section 1P of chapter 69.