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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1911 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 317
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Cynthia Stone Creem
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to ensure equitable access to education, including special education services, for all
students in Massachusetts.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Cynthia Stone CreemNorfolk and Middlesex 1 of 4
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1911 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 317
By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 317) of Cynthia Stone Creem for
legislation to ensure equitable access to education, including special education services, for all
students in Massachusetts. Education.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 249 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act to ensure equitable access to education, including special education services, for all
students in Massachusetts.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Section 1I of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
2Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the fifth paragraph the following
3paragraph:-
4 In order for the department to: address educational inequities through a data-driven
5approach; report data in a manner that specifies the demographics of students facing the most
6significant inequities; and ensure that educational inequities can be effectively identified and
7addressed; The department shall annually analyze and publish in an easily accessible and user
8friendly manner the student-specific data provided by school committees and charter schools
9pursuant to: section 1I of Chapter 69; sections 37G, 2 of 4 10 37H, 37O, 37P, and 89 of Chapter 2 of 4
1071 of the General Laws; sections 3 and 7 of Chapter 71A of the General Laws; section 6 of
11Chapter 71B of the General Laws; section 2A of Chapter 72 of the General Laws; statewide
12assessment data utilized as a basis for competency determinations pursuant to section 1D of
13chapter 69 of the General Laws; and any other data required by the federal office of education,
14provided that said data required by the federal department of education is also student-specific
15data and can be cross-tabulated. The department shall provide said data in a manner that can be
16easily cross-tabulated by, at a minimum, the following student status and categories: racial and
17ethnic group; gender; socioeconomic status; high needs status; English learner status; category of
18disability; and homeless children and youth, if applicable. The information shall be presented
19statewide and also disaggregated by school committee, charter school, and individual school in a
20manner that is anonymized and does not reveal personally identifiable information about an
21individual student. Publication shall include, but need not be limited to, availability on the
22department's worldwide web site.
23 SECTION 2. Said section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is further amended by
24striking out, in line 239, the word “and”.
25 SECTION 3. Said section 1I of said chapter 69, as so appearing, is hereby further
26amended by inserting after the word “learners”, in line 241, the following words:-- ; and (i) The
27number of children, by grade level, within each disability category receiving specific special
28education services, including but not limited to: each related service; assistive technology,
29including but not limited to augmentative and alternative communication; supplementary aids
30and services; positive behavioral interventions and supports; behavioral intervention plans;
31vocational education; travel training; and community-based transition 3 of 4 services; provided
32further that school districts and charter schools shall only be required to provide said information 3 of 4
33regarding number of children receiving specific special education services when the department
34provides school committees with an online web-based IEP application aligned with the special
35education services requiring reporting under this section.
36 SECTION 4. Section 6 of Chapter 71B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020
37Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the first sentence the following sentences:-
38School committees shall also annually report to the department, pursuant to regulations
39promulgated by the department, delivery of specific special education services by each major
40racial and ethnic group, gender, socioeconomic status, English learner status and whether the
41child or youth is homeless by age level, including but not limited to delivery of: each related
42service; assistive technology, including but not limited to augmentative and alternative
43communication; supplementary aids and services; positive behavioral interventions and supports;
44behavioral intervention plans; vocational education; travel training; and community-based
45transition services. This annual reporting by school committees to the department shall only be
46required when the department provides school committees with an online web-based IEP
47application aligned with the special education services requiring reporting under this section.
48This information shall be cross-tabulated by, at a minimum, the following student status and
49categories: each major racial and ethnic group; gender; socioeconomic status; homeless children
50and youth; and English learner status. The information shall be presented statewide and also
51disaggregated by school committee, charter school, and individual school in a manner that is
52anonymized and does not reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.
53 SECTION 5. Said section 6 of said Chapter 71B, as so appearing, is hereby further
54amended by inserting after the word “assignment”, in line 8, the following words:-- or pattern of
55delivery of specific special education services. 4 of 4 4 of 4
56 SECTION 6. Said section 6 of said Chapter 71B of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
57hereby further amended by inserting after the word “distribution”, in line 10, the following
58words:-- or if there is a statistically significant increase in the rates of assignment of students
59with disabilities to substantially separate classrooms for any racial or ethnic group in any of the
6010 years following the Governor’s Declaration of a State of Emergency due to COVID-19 in
61March 2020, as compared to the 2018-19 school year.