reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 1r - Financial Literacy Standards; Establishment and Implementation

Section 1R. (a) Financial literacy standards established pursuant to section 1D shall promote an understanding of personal finances including, but not limited to: (i) loans; (ii) interest and interest accrual; (iii) credit card debt; (iv) online commerce; (v) rights and responsibilities of renting or buying a home; (vi) saving, investing and planning for retirement; (vii) the role of banking and financial services; (viii) balancing a checkbook; (ix) state and federal taxes; (x) charitable giving; (xi) evaluating media content, including online content, that relates to personal finance matters; and (xii) saving, investing and planning for higher education or professional training.
(b) A school district, charter school, approved private day or residential school or collaborative school may incorporate the financial literacy standards established pursuant to section 1D and subsection (a) into existing curriculum including, but not limited to, mathematics, history and social sciences, technology or business.
(c) The department shall make resources available to school districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools and collaborative schools to assist in the selection of materials and curriculum on personal financial literacy. The department shall identify and offer information on resources for professional development activities and instruction on personal financial literacy. The department may consult with private or non-profit experts in the field of behavioral science or related disciplines and government stakeholders to identify such resources.
(d) The department may apply for federal, state or other funding, including funding available through the Economic Empowerment Trust Fund established pursuant to section 35QQ of chapter 10, to implement this section.
(e) Upon the action of the general court, there shall periodically be a review by the department relative to the implementation of the financial literacy standards, including a study of financial literacy programs being offered in the commonwealth to students in kindergarten to grade 12. The general court may direct the commissioner to consult with the office of the state treasurer to, subject to appropriation, convene a working group consisting of educators experienced in teaching curriculum related to financial literacy or personal finance and any individuals or organizations the department deems relevant with expertise in financial services, including, but not limited to, banking, borrowing and consumer protection. The review shall include a report on best practices and recommended improvements to the financial literacy standards. The report shall be submitted to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and the joint committee on education.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 1t - Student Preparedness for Workforce and Post-Graduate Success; Collection and Disbursement of Data

Section 1T. (a) The secretary of education, in consultation with the data advisory commission established in section 17 of chapter 70 and in conjunction with each public school district, the department of elementary and secondary education, the department of higher education and other relevant state agencies, shall collect and make publicly available data on student preparedness for workforce and post-graduate success by school district and high school. The data shall provide information on the success of students in completing coursework, matriculating to post-secondary education or training coursework, completing post-secondary coursework or training and entering the workforce. The data collected and made publicly available shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) student access to high quality instruction and coursework, including, but not limited to, the number of students enrolled in: (A) a MassCore curriculum; and (B) advanced placement coursework;
(ii) student participation rates in college and career readiness programming and the percentage of students in internships and earning industry-recognized credentials;
(iii) post-secondary application, acceptance, persistence and graduation rates at Massachusetts public higher education institutions and, to the extent that relevant data are available, private institutions of higher education and out-of-state public institutions of higher education; and
(iv) the percentage of students who, 16 months after their high school graduation, are attending an institution of higher education or another type of educational or training program or are employed with a sustainable wage.
(b) Annually, not later than December 31, the secretary shall report on student preparedness for workforce and post-graduate success by school district and high school, including any factors that limit access to any programs indicated in this section, to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the chairs of the joint committee on education and the chairs of the joint committee on labor and workforce development.
(c) The department may authorize school districts to combine the reporting required in this section with the reporting required from school districts pursuant to section 1I.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 2 - Statement of Amounts Spent for Vocational Schools; Annual Report

Section 2. On or before the first Wednesday of January of each year the commissioner shall present to the general court a statement of amounts expended previous to September first preceding by counties, cities and towns for maintenance of approved county, local or district independent vocational schools, or in payment of claims for tuition therein, for which such counties, cities and towns should be reimbursed under chapter seventy-four. He shall make an annual report containing a printed abstract of the returns of school committees under chapter seventy-two and of the schools in charge of the department, and a detailed report of the doings of the department, together with a detailed report of all receipts and expenditures, with observations upon the condition and efficiency of the system of public education and suggestions in regard to the most practicable means of improving and extending it. The records of the doings of the department shall be open to public inspection.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 4 - Compilation of Statistics as to Certain Institutions

Section 4. The department, through its division of research and statistics, shall prepare, with due reference to the requirements of the federal office of education, and annually, on or before May tenth, send to every literary, scientific or professional institution of learning in the commonwealth, and every training school or infirmary, blank forms of inquiry for such statistics as it may prescribe, relative to the number of pupils and instructors, courses of study, cost of tuition and the general condition of the institution or school. The trustees, officers or persons in charge thereof shall annually, on or before June first, return the same with the information required.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 6 - Teachers; Applications for Positions; Qualifications

Section 6. The department shall receive applications for the position of teacher from graduates of good moral character of any high school or state university in this commonwealth, or of any other school deemed by the department to be of equal grade, or of any reputable college. Such an application shall contain the applicant's name and address, and, briefly, his experience and qualifications, and shall be accompanied by a fee to be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven. For a period not exceeding one year after receipt of such application and fee, the department shall communicate with the various school committees and with the applicant himself, with a view to securing such position; provided, that this service may be continued for one or more additional years upon payment by the applicant of an additional fee to be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven for each such year.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 8 - Use of School Buildings

Section 8. For the purposes of such courses, the department may, with the consent of the school committee or other proper officials and subject to rules and regulations by them prescribed, use the school or other public buildings and grounds of a town, but without interference or inconsistency with their customary uses; also the state university buildings and grounds, and, with the consent of the officers in charge, other school buildings owned or controlled by the commonwealth. It may also arrange for the use of such other buildings, grounds and facilities, paying such rent therefor, as the conduct of such courses may require.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 9 - Classes for Illiterates and Foreigners

Section 9. The department, with the cooperation of any town applying therefor, may provide for such instruction in the use of English for persons eighteen years of age or over unable to speak, read or write the same, and in the fundamental principles of government and other subjects adapted to fit for American citizenship, as shall jointly be approved by the local school committee and the department. Schools and classes established therefor may be held in public school buildings, in industrial establishments or in such other places as may be approved in like manner. Teachers and supervisors employed therein by a town shall be chosen and their compensation fixed by the school committee, subject to the approval of the department.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 9a - Establishment of Class

Section 9A. Upon application of twenty or more residents of any city or town who are eighteen years of age or over certifying that they desire to attend a class for instruction of the type described in section nine, the school committee of such city or town shall establish and cause to be conducted such a class or classes for a period of not less than forty sessions; provided, that, in case the attendance of any such class falls below fifteen, such school committee may discontinue such class.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 10a - Education for American Citizenship; Director

Section 10A. The department is charged with responsibility for leadership in the co-operative study and fuller use, in the public schools and teachers colleges of the commonwealth, of teaching materials and methods, student activities, and administrative and supervisory procedures directed toward more effective preparation for the duties of American citizenship. The board of education shall appoint a director to carry out the purposes of this section, and shall provide said director with such facilities and assistance as may be requisite for the discharge of his duties.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 11 - Powers and Duties of the Division of Immigration and Americanization

Section 11. The division of immigration and Americanization shall employ such methods, consistent with law, as in its judgment, will tend to bring into sympathetic and mutually helpful relations the commonwealth and its residents of foreign origin, protect immigrants from exploitation and abuse, stimulate their acquisition and mastery of English, develop their understanding of American government, institutions and ideals, and generally promote their assimilation and naturalization. For the above purposes, the division may co-operate with other officers and departments of the commonwealth and with all public agencies, federal, state or municipal. It may investigate the exploitation or abuse of immigrants and in making any investigation may require the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books and documents relating to the matter under investigation. Subject to the approval of the department and of the commission on administration and finance, the division may make reasonable charges for any service rendered or material furnished by it.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 30a - Standards for Educational Institutions; Establishment; Revocation of Powers to Grant Degrees

Section 30A. The board of higher education shall establish standards relative to faculty, equipment, courses of study, financial organization, facilities, physical plant and leadership which shall apply to any educational institution for which said council has approved the certificate of organization or an article of amendment under the provisions of section thirty.
If said board has reason to believe that any such institution does not comply with such standards it may, after a hearing, suspend or revoke the power of such institution to grant degrees. Proceedings under this section shall be deemed to be adjudicatory proceedings as defined in section one of chapter thirty A and shall be subject to the provisions of said chapter thirty A, except that (1) pending a final decision by the court the institution shall continue to have the power to grant degrees, (2) no suspension or revocation under this section shall become effective until the time for filing a petition for review has expired and (3) the council shall forthwith notify the state secretary upon any suspension or revocation under this section becoming effective.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 31a - Awarding of Degrees and Courses Leading to Award of Degrees; Necessity of Authorization

Section 31A. An educational institution chartered, located, offering courses or otherwise doing business within the commonwealth shall not award degrees within the commonwealth unless authorized or approved to do so by the commonwealth.
An educational institution chartered, incorporated or organized in another state shall not conduct within the commonwealth courses available to residents of the commonwealth that lead to the award of a degree unless the educational institution has received the authorization of the commonwealth for such courses; provided, however, that authorization may be granted by the board of higher education through the board of higher education's participation in an interstate reciprocity agreement under section 9 of chapter 15A. The board of higher education shall be responsible for the implementation of this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 31c - Notification of Accreditation of Institution to Applicant for Admission Upon Acceptance Required

Section 31C. Any college, university, community college, junior college and other school of higher education, whether public or private, shall, upon accepting any applicant for admission to such institution, notify said applicant in writing whether or not said institution has been accredited by a recognized regional or professional accrediting agency.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 69 - Powers and Duties of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education › Section 37 - Green School Works Grant Program; Eligibility and Selection; Annual Report; Regulations

[ Text of section added by 2023, 28, Sec. 35 effective July 1, 2023. See 2023, 28, Sec. 115.]
Section 37. (a)(1) There shall be a competitive grant program, known as Green School Works, to provide financial support to eligible K-12 public schools or districts for projects to install or maintain clean energy infrastructure. The program shall be administered by the department, in consultation with the Massachusetts clean energy technology center, established by section 2 of chapter 23J. Grants shall be made available to address the costs of installation, operation or upgrades of clean energy infrastructure that improves energy efficiency, reduces carbon emissions or mitigates impacts of climate change, including school rooftop construction or repair costs necessary for a clean energy infrastructure project to be safely installed; provided, that such installation, operation or upgrades shall be conducted in compliance with any relevant procurement laws, including, but not limited to, chapter 149 and all state and local building codes.
(2) Grants awarded by the department shall maximize the total number of projects that shall be undertaken by public schools or districts.
(b) The department, in consultation with the Massachusetts clean energy technology center, shall establish eligibility and selection criteria for the program. The department may give preference to grant applications from schools serving low-income and environmental justice populations.
(c) Annually, not later than July 15, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the joint committee on education, the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities and energy and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the grants awarded during the previous fiscal year, including the grant amount, grant recipient, a description of the project for which the grant was awarded and any progress on completion of the project.
(d) The department, in consultation with the Massachusetts clean energy technology center and the Massachusetts School Building Authority, established by section 1A of chapter 70B, shall promulgate regulations to implement this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 3 - Foundation Budget; Regulations; Calculation of Budget

Section 3. (a) There shall be a foundation budget for the school district in each municipality, regional school district, independent vocational school and vocational school and agricultural school operated by a county.
The foundation budget shall be calculated based on each district's foundation enrollment for the prior fiscal year. Foundation budgets shall be based on the per pupil amounts in table 1 and the foundation increment amounts in table 2; provided, however, that the special education in-school and special education tuitioned-out enrollments shall be assumed enrollments. Beginning in fiscal year 2021 and in each year thereafter, the employee benefits and fixed charges allotments shall be adjusted by the foundation employee benefits inflation rate and all other foundation allotments and foundation increments shall be adjusted by the foundation inflation index.
Each district's wage adjustment factor shall be applied to all of the foundation allotments except the allotments for instructional materials, equipment and technology, employee benefits and fixed charges and special education tuition.
For each student identified as being low-income or an English learner, the increments in the following table shall be added to each foundation allotment.
(b) The board shall promulgate regulations as needed to implement this section. The board shall submit any regulations to the senate and house committees on ways and means and the joint committee on education not less than 60 days before adoption. The joint committee on education shall review and may comment on these regulations during that time period.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 3a - Data Necessary to Generate Required Minimum Local Contribution and State Aid Components; House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means

Section 3A. The secretary of administration and finance in cooperation with the commissioner of revenue and the commissioner of education shall make available to the house and senate committees on ways and means, in an electronically compatible format the criteria, components, equations, and underlying data necessary to generate the required minimum local contribution and each component of state aid authorized for distribution to municipalities and school districts pursuant to this chapter.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 6 - Contributions by Municipalities for Support of Local Schools and School District

Section 6. In addition to the amounts appropriated for long-term debt service, school meals, adult education, student transportation and tuition revenue, each municipality shall annually appropriate for the support of public schools in the municipality in an amount not less than the net school spending requirement. Each municipality shall also appropriate not less than its minimum required local contribution for each regional school district to which the municipality belongs.
The commissioner shall estimate and report such amounts to each municipality and regional school district as early as possible, but not later than March 1, for the following fiscal year and shall revise such estimates within 30 days following the enactment of the general appropriations act.
Notwithstanding the terms of any regional school district agreements to the contrary, no regional school district shall be required to submit a budget to its members before receiving the commissioner's initial estimate. Each regional school district budget shall provide for not less than the net school spending requirement. The district may choose to spend additional amounts; provided, however, that such decisions shall be made and such amounts charged to members according to the district's regional agreement.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 8 - Districts' Methods for Allocating Appropriated Funds; Under-Performing Districts; Restrictions

Section 8. Except as required by General Law, each school district may determine how to allocate any funds appropriated for the support of public schools without regard to the categories employed in calculating the foundation budget; provided, however, that effective July 1, 1997, school or school districts which are determined to be under-performing or chronically under-performing within the meaning of sections 1J and 1K of chapter 69 may not allocate any such funds to cover legal expenses incurred in challenging such determination or in challenging actions taken by the board, the department or the commissioner in connection with such determination.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 9 - Reports on Expenditures and Staffing for Foundation Categories

Section 9. Each school district shall report district and school level data to the commissioner, in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, on expenditures and staffing for each foundation category. The reports shall provide actual spending for each foundation category. The reports shall be made publicly available on the department's website.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 10 - Aid Paid to Municipalities and Districts; Amounts

Section 10. Subject to appropriation, each municipality, regional school district, independent vocational school and county operating an agricultural school or vocational school shall receive chapter 70 school aid as provided in this chapter. Tuition payments required pursuant to section 89 of chapter 71 and section 12B of chapter 76 shall be deducted from such aid.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 11 - Excess Funds; Application to Following Fiscal Year

Section 11. If in any fiscal year a district's actual expenditure for public education is less than the amount required to be appropriated for public education pursuant to this chapter, the difference, up to 5 per cent of the amount required to be appropriated, shall be spent for public education in the following fiscal year; provided, however, that any unexpended funds, whether appropriated to the school committee account or to town accounts for expenditure to meet public education costs, shall be deemed reappropriated for public education in the following year without further action by the appropriating authority; provided, further, that the amount of state school aid for the following fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount said difference exceeds 5 per cent of the amount required to be appropriated; and provided, further, that in any year in which additional money is required to be spent due to a spending deficiency in the prior year, if a district fails to spend the carried forward amount or under-spends its current year budget by more than 5 per cent of the amount required to be appropriated for that year, state school aid in the following year shall be reduced by the entire difference between those amounts. The board shall promulgate regulations to enforce the provisions of this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 14 - Exemption of Certain Districts From Chapter

Section 14. For any district in which fewer than twenty percent of the students scored below the state average on the assessment tests required by chapter sixty-nine, the city or town, or all cities and towns comprising a regional school district, may exempt the district from the provisions of this chapter by accepting this section in the manner prescribed by section four of chapter four. Any district so exempted shall continue to receive fiscal year nineteen hundred and ninety-three base aid, but shall not receive any additional state aid and shall not be required to meet the local obligation requirements of this chapter.
If, in any future year, a district so exempted fails to meet the assessment standards described above, or for any other reason is not exempt from this chapter, it shall, in that and future years, be subject to the same obligations and entitled to the same aid under this chapter in each year as districts that were never so exempted.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70 - School Funds and State Aid for Public Schools › Section 15 - Applicability of Chapter

Section 15. This chapter shall apply to all cities, towns, and regional school districts, notwithstanding section twenty-seven C of chapter twenty-nine, and without regard to any acceptance or appropriation by a city, town or regional school district or to any appropriation by the general court.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 1 - School Building Assistance Program; Establishment

Section 1. Whereas the school building assistance program is the largest capital grant program operated by the commonwealth and is necessary for the establishment of public school buildings in the commonwealth; and whereas the costs of the school building assistance program are increasing at an unsustainable rate and local governments need flexibility in school building assistance to ensure that local needs for school facility space, downtown development, open space and community space are met; and to promote the thoughtful planning and construction of school facility space in order to insure safe and adequate plant facilities for the public schools, and to assist towns in meeting the cost thereof, there is hereby established a school building assistance program. It is in the best interests of the commonwealth and its citizens to create an authority to achieve the objectives of effective management and planning of the commonwealth's investments in school building assets, promoting positive educational outcomes, ensuring the health, safety, security and well-being of students, easing and preventing overcrowding, maintaining good repair, efficient and economical construction and maintenance, financial sustainability of the school building assistance program, thoughtful community development, smart growth and accessibility.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 3a - School Building Advisory Board; Establishment; Members

Section 3A. There shall be a school building advisory board comprised of: the state auditor or a designee; the inspector general or a designee; the superintendent of the state police or a designee; the state fire marshal or a designee; the director of the Massachusetts emergency management agency or a designee; the executive director of the authority, who shall serve as the secretary to the advisory board and shall be a nonvoting member of the board; and 17 members to be appointed by and represent the following nongovernmental organizations: Massachusetts Municipal Association, Inc., Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Inc., the Massachusetts Mayors Association, Inc., Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Inc., Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools, Inc., Massachusetts Building Trades Council, the Massachusetts chapter of Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc., Massachusetts Alliance for Small Contractors, American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts, Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts, Inc., American Institute of Architects–Massachusetts, Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Inc., Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts, Inc., Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association Incorporated, Fire Chiefs' Association of Massachusetts, Inc. and acting jointly, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Massachusetts Federation of Teachers. The advisory board shall assist the authority in the development of general policy regarding school building construction, renovation, reconstruction, maintenance and facility space, preservation of open space and minimization of loss of open space, thoughtful community development, cost management, adequate provisions for safety and security and shall provide technical advice and input to the authority. The advisory board shall meet at least quarterly.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 3d - Accounts; Annual Report

Section 3D. The authority, in cooperation with the state treasurer, shall at all times keep accounts of all receipts, expenditures and disbursements and all assets and liabilities of the authority, which shall be open to inspection by any officer or duly appointed agent of the commonwealth. The authority shall submit an annual report, in writing, to the governor and the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, who shall forward the same to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chairpersons of the house and senate committees on ways and means and the house and senate chairpersons of the joint committee on education, arts and humanities. The report shall include financial statements relating to the operations, assets and expenditures of the authority maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles so far as applicable and audited by an independent certified public accountant firm.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 3e - Municipality Indebted to Authority; Offset of Deficiency by State Treasurer's Disbursement of Funds Payable to Indebted Municipality

Section 3E. In addition to other remedies of the authority under any bond, note or other evidence of indebtedness, if at any time any amount is distributable or payable by the commonwealth to any city, town or regional school district, and a sum is due to the authority from that city, town or regional school district, for any cause whatsoever, the sum due to the authority, as certified by the authority to the state treasurer, shall be deducted by the state treasurer from the amount distributable or payable to the city, town or regional school district and shall be paid promptly to the authority. Payment by the state treasurer under this section shall continue to be made until the deficiency on the part of the city, town or regional school district has been offset by the payments from the state treasurer. The authority may also recover from that city, town or regional school district, in an action in superior court, any amount due the authority, together with any other actual damages the authority shall have sustained from the failure or refusal of that city, town or regional school district to make payments owing to the authority.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 4 - Reimbursement for Incidental Educational, Engineering and Architectural Services; Application and Documentation

Section 4. Any eligible applicant may apply to the board for reimbursement, in whole or in part, of any expenses incurred for educational, engineering and architectural services incidental to the planning of a regional school or any expenses incurred for surveys made of school building needs and conditions, the contract for which has been approved by the authority. Such application shall be accompanied by information and documentation that the authority may require.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 7 - Limit on Estimated Amount of Grants Approved by Authority

[ Text of section effective until July 1, 2022. For text effective July 1, 2022, see below.]
Section 7. There shall be a limit on the estimated amount of grants approved by the authority during a fiscal year. For fiscal year 2020, the limit shall be $800,000,000. For each fiscal year thereafter, the limit shall be the limit for the previous fiscal year plus the lower of: (i) the rate of growth in the dedicated sales tax revenue amount as defined in subsection (a) of section 35BB of chapter 10; or (ii) 4.5 per cent.
Chapter 70B: Section 7. Limit on estimated amount of grants approved by authority
[ Text of section as amended by 2023, 28, Sec. 36 effective July 1, 2022. See 2023, 28, Sec. 108. For text effective until July 1, 2022, see above.]
Section 7. There shall be a limit on the estimated amount of grants approved by the authority during a fiscal year. For fiscal year 2023, the limit shall be $1,200,000,000; provided, however, that grant amounts relating to the authority's accelerated repair program shall not count against the limit set forth in this section. For each fiscal year thereafter, the limit shall be the limit for the previous fiscal year plus the lower of: (i) the rate of growth in the dedicated sales tax revenue amount as defined in subsection (a) of section 35BB of chapter 10; or (ii) 6.5 per cent.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 14 - Approved Alternative Projects; Allowable Costs

Section 14. For approved projects that are an alternative to construction or renovation, the authority shall establish eligible cost criteria, and on a case by case basis, shall determine the allowable cost of the project. Eligible costs may include but shall not be limited to furnishings and equipment, including upgrades and technological devices necessary for enhanced safety and security, lease costs, rental fees, tuition costs and transportation costs. In no event shall an alternative project be reimbursed if it is determined by the authority to be more costly than construction necessary to achieve the same end.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 16 - Maintenance Assessment Program for School Buildings

Section 16. The authority shall create a maintenance assessment program for school buildings. Such assessment program shall include a review of all major building components, maintenance records, existing staff and vendor contracts. The authority shall use such assessment program to issue ratings of the building conditions for each school district; survey current conditions, develop a model plan for the proper maintenance of school buildings, and provide technical assistance and information to municipalities and school districts.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 17 - Annual Report; Anticipated Needs for School Facilities Projects

Section 17. (a) On or before June 30 of each year, the authority shall submit a report to the governor, the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on education, arts and humanities, the joint committee on natural resources, the house and senate committees on long-term debt and capital expenditures and the joint committee on local affairs which analyzes the anticipated financial needs for school facilities projects of the kind that qualify for assistance under this chapter. The report shall include a listing of each school building within the commonwealth, together with a description of its size, capacity, age and state of maintenance and whether it is likely to require construction, enlargement, reconstruction, rehabilitation or improvement due to such factors as deterioration, lack of adequate facilities to meet educational standards and anticipated increases in school-age population.
(b) The authority shall also conduct periodic surveys of the cities, towns and regional school districts to determine the need for new school facility construction to meet demand.
(c) The authority shall develop a long-term capital plan in accordance with needs and funding projected to be available in the trust under this chapter for purposes of planning and guiding the policies of the authority.
(d) The capital plans, needs surveys and reports of the authority shall not give rise to any claim, legal or moral, or enforceable right in any party to benefits or funds from the trust or from other sources.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 19 - Notification of Actual Interest Rate for Bond Issuance

Section 19. Municipalities and school districts shall notify the authority no later than 14 days before refinancing any bond for which the municipality or district will receive state reimbursement under chapter 645 of the acts of 1948 or other law. The authority shall reimburse municipalities or districts at the actual interest rate obtained. The authority shall encourage municipalities and school districts to refinance any bond for which the municipality or district will receive state reimbursement where the refinancing would result in savings for the commonwealth or the municipality or school district and where the refinancing is otherwise in accordance with the law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 70b - School Building Assistance Program › Section 20 - Submission of Plans or Blueprints Associated With Construction, Renovation or Reconstruction of School Building to Police and Fire Departments and Emergency Management Agency

Section 20. The authority shall, in cooperation with a school district or municipality, submit plans or blueprints approved by the authority, associated with approved construction, renovation or reconstruction of a school building, to the local police department, fire department, Massachusetts emergency management agency and any regional law enforcement entity. The plans shall identify points of entry into a school building, emergency access routes for ingress or egress and other public safety features, including, but not limited to: fire hydrants, utility access points and stairwells. Any department in receipt of such plans may submit comments to the authority and school district. Upon completion of the approved construction, the authority shall, subject to appropriation, in cooperation with a school district or municipality, submit updated, as-built plans to the local police department, fire department, Massachusetts emergency management agency and any regional law enforcement entity, a copy of which shall be maintained on file by each department or agency in receipt of the plans. Plans submitted pursuant to this section shall be deemed confidential and shall not be considered public records under clause Twenty-sixth of section 7 of chapter 4.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 71 - Public Schools › Section 1a - Period of Silence

Section 1A. At the commencement of the first class of each day in all grades in all public schools the teacher in charge of the room in which each such class is held shall announce that a period of silence not to exceed one minute in duration shall be observed for personal thoughts, and during any such period, silence shall be maintained and no activities engaged in.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 71 - Public Schools › Section 1b - Voluntary Prayer

Section 1B. The school committee of any city or town may permit any child attending its public schools to participate in voluntary prayer with the approval of such child's parents before the commencement of each daily school session. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no city or town which permits such prayer shall be denied any funds for school purposes to which it may be entitled from the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 71 - Public Schools › Section 1c - Workshops on Rights of Students and Their Parents Under Special Education Laws of the Commonwealth and the Federal Government

Section 1C. Each school district shall conduct, in cooperation with the local parent advisory council, at least one workshop annually within the school district on the rights of students and their parents and guardians under the special education laws of the commonwealth and the federal government and shall make written materials explaining such rights available upon request.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 71 - Public Schools › Section 1d - Prohibition of Adoption or Implementation of Policy or Code in Sports or Athletic Events That Impairs or Prohibits Hairstyle Historically Associated With Race

Section 1D. A school district, school committee, public school, nonsectarian school, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association or any equivalent school organization or an entity or board that provides athletic officials, including, but not limited to, referees and umpires, for school sports or athletic events, shall not adopt or implement a policy or code, including, but not limited to, any policy or code pertaining to a student's participation in sports or athletic events, that impairs or prohibits a hairstyle that is historically associated with race. The department of elementary and secondary education shall provide written guidance for the administration of this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 71 - Public Schools › Section 2a - Use of Tobacco Products Within School Buildings or Facilities or on School Grounds

Section 2A. No person shall use a tobacco product, as defined in section 6 of chapter 270, within the school buildings or facilities or on the grounds or school buses of a public or private primary or secondary school or at a school-sponsored event.
Each school committee or board of trustees shall establish a policy regarding violations of this section. The policy may include, but shall not be limited to, mandatory education classes on the hazards of using tobacco products.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 71 - Public Schools › Section 2b - Courses in American Sign Language

Section 2B. In all public elementary and secondary schools, American Sign Language shall be recognized as a standard, independent language with its own grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and cultural heritage. Courses in American Sign Language may be taught for the purpose of contributing to a greater understanding of the social and cultural dimensions of the language, and to encourage and enable increased interaction between hearing persons and deaf and hard-of-hearing persons in society. School committees may credit such courses toward satisfaction of foreign language requirements.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XII - Education › Chapter 71 - Public Schools › Section 2c - Implementation of Policy and Discipline Code Addressing Teen Dating Violence in Public Schools

Section 2C. Each school district in the commonwealth, subject to appropriation, shall implement a specific policy and discipline code to address teen dating violence in public schools. The policy shall clearly state that dating violence will not be tolerated and shall include guidelines for addressing alleged incidents of dating violence. The policy may include a teen dating violence prevention task force comprised of staff, students and parents to provide awareness training and education for the school community. Topics to be covered in the policy include, without limitation, defining the issue of teen dating violence, recognizing warning signs, identifying issues of confidentiality, safety and appropriate legal school-based interventions.