reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 71a § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 1 - Findings and Declarations

Section 1. Findings and Declarations  The People of Massachusetts find and declare that:  (a) The English language is the common public language of the United States of America and of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is spoken by the vast majority of Massachusetts residents, and is also the leading world language for science, technology, and international business, thereby being the language of economic opportunity; and  (b) Immigrant parents are eager to have their children become fluent and literate in English, thereby allowing them to fully participate in the American Dream of economic and social advancement; and  (c) The government and the public schools of Massachusetts have a moral obligation and a constitutional duty to provide all of Massachusetts's children, regardless of their ethnicity or national origins, with the skills necessary to become productive members of our society. Of these skills, literacy in the English language is among the most important.  (d) The public schools of Massachusetts have done an inadequate job of educating many immigrant children, requiring that they be placed in native language programs whose failure over past decades is demonstrated by the low English literacy levels of those children.  (e) Immigrant children can easily acquire full fluency and literacy in a new language, such as English, if they are taught that language in the classroom as soon as they enter school.  (f) Therefore it is resolved that: all children in Massachusetts public schools shall be taught English as rapidly and effectively as possible.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 3 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 3 - Census

Section 3. Census  School districts shall annually ascertain, under regulations prescribed by the department, the number of English learners within their school system in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve, and shall classify them according to grade level, the language of which they possess a primary speaking ability, and the English learner program type in which they are enrolled, with all such information being made publicly available by school and school district on on the district's website in machine readable format, to the extent feasible. School districts shall also track the academic performance of students who have exited an English learner program to assess the academic achievement of English learners and the effectiveness of English language classroom programming.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 5 - Parental Selection of English Learner Program Within District; Request for School Transfer

Section 5. (a) The parent or legal guardian of a student eligible to enroll in an English learner program may select any available English learner program offered by the school district; provided, however, that the program shall be appropriate for the age and grade level of the student; and provided further, that for any program selection that would require a student to transfer to a different school within the district, the transfer request shall be approved by the superintendent, in a form prescribed by the department. A school, under advisement of a teacher or guidance counselor, may request a program transfer for an individual child in writing, with notice of the transfer request provided to the child's parents, in a form prescribed by the department.  (b) If a school district or charter school receives requests from the parents or legal guardians of not less than 20 students to implement a specific program to provide language instruction in that school district or charter school, the school district or charter school shall, not later than 90 days after receiving the request, respond and provide: (i) a plan for implementation of the requested program; or (ii) a denial of the request, in writing, including an explanation of the denial.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 6 - Legal Standing and Parental Enforcement

Section 6. Legal standing and parental enforcement  (a) As set forth in Section 4 of this chapter, all school children are to be provided at their assigned school with an English language public education. The parent or legal guardian of any school child shall have legal standing to sue for enforcement of the provisions of this chapter, and if successful shall be awarded reasonable attorney's fees, costs and compensatory damages.  (b) Any school district employee, school committee member or other elected official or administrator who willfully and repeatedly refuses to implement the terms of this chapter may be held personally liable for reasonable attorney's fees, costs and compensatory damages by the child's parents or legal guardian, and shall not be subsequently indemnified for such monetary judgment by any public or private third party. Any individual found so liable shall be barred from election or reelection to any school committee and from employment in any public school district for a period of five years following the entry of final judgment.  (c) Parents and legal guardians who apply for and are granted exception waivers under Section 5(b)(3) of this chapter retain full and permanent legal right to sue the individuals who granted such waivers if they subsequently discover before the child reaches the age of eighteen that the application for waivers was induced by fraud or intentional misrepresentation and injured the education of their child.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 6a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 6a - English Learner Parent Advisory Council

Section 6A. A school district or charter school operating a language acquisition program for English learners serving 100 or more English learners or in which English learners comprise at least 5 per cent of the district's or charter school's student population, whichever is less, shall establish an English learner parent advisory council; provided, however, that any other school district or charter school may establish a parent advisory council pursuant to this section. The council shall be composed of volunteer parents or legal guardians of students who are or have been identified as English learners and, to the extent feasible, the members of the council shall represent the native languages most commonly spoken by the students of the district or charter school. The duties of the council shall include, but not be limited to: (i) advising the school district, school committee and board of trustees on matters that pertain to English learners; (ii) meeting regularly with school officials to participate in the planning and development of programs designed to improve educational opportunities for English learners; and (iii) participating in the review of school improvement plans under section 59C of chapter 71 and district improvement plans under section 1I of chapter 69 as the plans relate to English learners. Upon request from a parent advisory council, each school committee or school council within that parent advisory council's district shall meet at least annually with the council; provided, however, that if the parent advisory council advises a charter school the board of the charter school shall, upon request from the parent advisory council, meet not less than annually with the council. The council shall establish by-laws regarding officers and operational procedures. In the course of its duties under this section, the council shall receive assistance from the director of language acquisition programs for the school district or charter school or other appropriate school personnel as designated by the superintendent. The department shall promulgate regulations for the implementation of this section including, but not limited to, the process for parents or legal guardians to be notified of English learner parent advisory councils and the process for the appointment of volunteer parents or legal guardians to a council.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 7 - Standardized Testing for Monitoring Education Progress

Section 7. Standardized testing for monitoring education programs  Each English learner shall participate, consistent with section 1I of chapter 69, in the statewide assessment system. A nationally-normed test of English proficiency shall similarly be administered at least once each year to all Massachusetts schoolchildren in grades Kindergarten and higher who are English learners and enrolled in a public school, including a charter school. Only English learners classified as severely learning disabled may be exempted from these tests. The particular tests to be used shall be selected by the Board of Education, and it is intended that the tests shall usually remain the same from year to year. The national percentile scores of students shall be confidentially provided to individual parents, and the aggregated percentile scores and distributional data for individual schools and school districts shall be made publicly available online in machine readable format, to the extent feasible; the scores for students classified as English learners shall be separately sub- aggregated and made publicly available there as well, with further sub- aggregation based on the English learner program type in which they are enrolled. School enrollment by race, ethnicity, and English learner program type shall also be made publicly available. Results of assessments shall be used as a factor in determining the efficacy of an English learner program offered by a school district but shall not be the sole basis for evaluation of a district, school, English learner program or individual educator.  English learners in any program shall be taught to the same academic standards and curriculum frameworks as all students, and shall be provided the same opportunities to master such standards and frameworks as other students. Districts shall regularly assess mastery of academic standards and curriculum frameworks.  The district shall send report cards and progress reports including, but not limited to, progress in becoming proficient in using the English language and other school communications to the parents or legal guardians of students in the English learners programs in the same manner and frequency as report cards and progress reports to other students enrolled in the district. The report cards and progress reports shall, to the maximum extent possible, be written in a language understandable to the parents and legal guardians of such students.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 7a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 7a - On-Site Evaluations of English Learners

Section 7A. The department shall conduct on-site visits to school districts at least once every 6 years for the purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of programs serving English learners and to validate evidence of educational outcomes.  The evaluation shall include, but shall not be limited to: (i) a review of individual student records of English learners; (ii) a review of the programs and services provided to English learners; (iii) a review of the dropout, graduation, discipline and special education incidence rates of the English learner population in the district; (iv) using the best available data, a review of the dropout, graduation, discipline and special education rates of English learners who exited the English learner education program within the 3 school years preceding the on-site visit for that 3–year period; (v) a description of the processes by which school-based teams, consisting of educators, administrators and support staff, monitor the progress of English learners and former English learners; (vi) a review of the amount, frequency and effectiveness of English as a second language instruction; and (vii) a review of the administration and coordination of English learner education programs. The advisory council for bilingual education established under section 1G of chapter 15 shall annually review the results of the department's monitoring of English learner programs in school districts.  Nothing in this section shall prevent the department from conducting an evaluation of a language acquisition program at any time.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 8 - Community-Based English Tutoring

Section 8. Community-based English tutoring  In furtherance of its constitutional and legal obligation to provide all children with an adequate education, the state shall encourage family members and others to provide personal English language tutoring to such children as are English learners, and support these efforts by raising the general level of English language knowledge in the community. Subject to appropriation by the General Court, commencing with the fiscal year in which this initiative is enacted and for each of the nine fiscal years following thereafter, a sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) per year shall be spent for the purpose of providing funding for free or subsidized programs of adult English language instruction to parents or other members of the community who pledge to provide personal English language tutoring to Massachusetts school children who are English learners. Programs funded pursuant to this section shall be provided through schools or community organizations. Funding for these programs shall be administered by the Department of Education, and shall be disbursed at the discretion of the local school committees in each district, under reasonable guidelines established by, and subject to the review of, the Board of Education.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 10 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 10 - Qualifications and Endorsement of Teachers and Administrators Assigned to Language Acquisition Program

Section 10. Teachers and administrators assigned to a language acquisition program shall be properly qualified under state law for the program type. The department shall establish endorsements for educators who have completed coursework and field-based experience to provide instruction within sheltered English immersion programs, 2–way immersion programs, transitional bilingual programs and other programs that meet the requirements of this chapter.  Annually, not later than June 1, the department shall provide each district with a list of all educators who have current endorsements pursuant to this section. Prior to the beginning of each school year, districts, including charter schools shall verify that each of the educators in an English learner program is properly endorsed for that program.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 11 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 11 - Benchmarks, Guidelines and Learning Success Templates for English Learner Programs

Section 11. The department shall develop: (i) benchmarks for attaining English proficiency for English learners, (ii) guidelines to assist school districts in the identification of English learners who do not meet benchmarks and (iii) an English learning success template for use by districts to assist English learners who do not meet English proficiency benchmarks.  The guidelines shall include: (i) recommendations for school districts to identify and monitor an English learner's progress in English proficiency; (ii) methods for school districts to provide personalized goals for English learners who are not meeting English proficiency benchmarks; (iii) best practices for ensuring that English learners meet English proficiency benchmarks and personalized goals including, but not limited to, methods to incorporate parental input; and (iv) methods for school districts to share best practices in assisting English learners in gaining English proficiency.  Upon the department's creation of the success templates and guidelines pursuant to this section, school districts shall adopt procedures to identify English learners who do not meet English proficiency benchmarks and shall establish a process for the district to: (i) identify areas in which identified English learners needs improvement and establish personalized goals for the identified English learners to attain English proficiency; (ii) assess and track the progress of English learners in the identified areas of improvement; (iii) review resources and services available to identified English learners that may assist said learners in the identified areas of improvement; and (iv) incorporate input from the parents or legal guardian of the identified English learner,.  The department shall solicit public comment prior to issuing the benchmarks, guidelines and English learning success template. The department shall review the benchmarks, guidelines and English learning success template not less than every 5 years. The review shall include a period of public comment. School districts shall provide a copy of the department guidelines, materials describing the benchmarks and the English learning success template to the parent or guardian of each English learner, in the English learner's primary language, at the beginning of each school year or upon enrollment of the child in an English learner program if the enrollment is not concurrent with the beginning of the school year.
MA Gen L ch 71a § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71a - English Language Education in Public Schools|Section 12 - Duty to Inform Parents or Legal Guardians of English Learners of Their Rights

Section 12. School districts shall, at least annually, inform the parents or legal guardians of English learners of their rights to: (i) choose a language acquisition program among those offered by the school district under section 4; (ii) request a new language acquisition program under said section 4; or (iii) withdraw a student from a language acquisition program. Notice shall be sent by mail not later than 10 days after the enrollment of the student in the school district. The notice shall, to the extent possible: (A) be in a language that is understandable to the parents or legal guardians; (B) contain a simple, easy to understand description of the purpose, method and content of the available programs; (C) inform the parent or legal guardian of the right to visit an English learner program in the school district; and (D) inform the parent or legal guardian of available conferences or meetings to learn about the English learner programs offered in the school district.  If the school district recommends placing an English learner in an English learner program, the parent or legal guardian of the student shall have the right, at the time of the original notification under this section or at the close of a marking period, to withdraw the student from a program by sending written notice of the decision by mail or electronic communication to the school authority designated by the school district in which the student is enrolled; provided, however, that written confirmation of the withdrawal shall be provided annually to the school by the parent or legal guardian and such confirmation shall be retained in the student's cumulative folder; and provided further, that the student shall retain the right to enter into an English learner program at any time.
MA Gen L ch 71b § 3a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71b - Children With Special Needs|Section 3a - Administrator of Special Education; Duties; Joint Appointment

Section 3A. (a) A school committee with four thousand or more children enrolled in its school system shall appoint a person to be its administrator of special education. Such administrator shall devote full time to the duties involved in supervising the provision of all special education in the school system.  (b) A school committee with less than four thousand children enrolled in its school system shall appoint a person to be its administrator of special education. Such administrator shall have the duties involved in supervising the provision of all special education in the school system and other duties if the special education duties are not such as to require the devotion of full time.  (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b), the school committee of any city, town, or school district may, to meet its obligations under this section, with the approval of the department, enter into an agreement with any other school committee to jointly appoint an administrator of special education. The department shall promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this paragraph.
MA Gen L ch 71b § 4 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title XII - Education|Chapter 71b - Children With Special Needs|Section 4 - Agreements Between School Committees or With Public or Private Schools

Section 4. The school committee of any city, town or school district may, to meet its obligations under section three, with the approval of the department enter into an agreement with any other school committee to jointly provide special education or, subject to the consent of the parent or guardian affected thereby and subject to constitutional limitations, may enter into an agreement with any public or private school, agency, or institution to provide the necessary special education within the city, town or school district; provided, however, that every school committee, where feasible, shall be associated with an educational collaborative providing services to children with a disability which disability occurs in a low incidence in the population of children requiring special education.  In the case of an agreement between school committees to jointly provide special education, said agreement shall designate one city, town or school district as the operating agent. Funds received by such operating agent from other cities, towns or school districts or appropriated by such operating agent for the purposes of such agreement, in addition to gifts and grants shall be deposited with and held as a separate account by its treasurer. The school committee may apply said funds to the costs of programs operated pursuant to the agreement without further appropriation.