HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3498 FILED ON: 1/21/2011 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2715 The Commonwealth of Massachusetts _________________ PRESENTED BY: Paul K. Frost _______________ 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 passage of the accompanying: An Act protecting the religious freedom of students. _______________ PETITION OF: Name: | District/Address: | Viriato Manuel deMacedo | 1st Plymouth | James J. Lyons, Jr. | 18th Essex | Sheila C. Harrington | 1st Middlesex | Elizabeth A. Poirier | 14th Bristol | Bruce E. Tarr |
[District]
| Bradley H. Jones, Jr. | 20th Middlesex | James J. Dwyer | 30th Middlesex | Shaunna O'Connell | 3rd Bristol | Carlo Basile | 1st Suffolk | James R. Miceli | 19th Middlesex | Angelo M. Scaccia | 14th Suffolk | George N. Peterson, Jr. | 9th Worcester | John J. Binienda | 17th Worcester | Nick Collins | 4th Suffolk | Ryan C. Fattman | 18th Worcester | Donald F. Humason, Jr. | 4th Hampden | Kevin J. Kuros | 8th Worcester | F. Jay Barrows | 1st Bristol | Dennis A. Rosa | 4th Worcester | Todd M. Smola | 1st Hampden | Joyce A. Spiliotis | 12th Essex | Marc T. Lombardo | 22nd Middlesex | Stephen L. DiNatale | 3rd Worcester | Paul Adams | 17th Essex |
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3498 FILED ON: 1/21/2011 HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2715 By Mr. Frost of Auburn, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2715) of Viriato Manuel deMacedo and others for legislation to protect the rights of students to express religious viewpoints. Education. |
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
An Act protecting the religious freedom of students.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Chapter 71 is hereby amended by inserting after Section 1B the following section:- Section 1C. Notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, school districts beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, shall adopt and implement a local policy that allows for a limited public forum and voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints at school events and graduation ceremonies, in class assignments, and in non-curricular school groups and activities. Districts shall treat such expression on an otherwise permissible subject in the same manner as the expression of a secular or other viewpoint and prohibits the district from discriminating against a student based on his or her expressed religious viewpoint. The policy must require the district to ensure that a student speaker does not engage in obscene or indecent speech and to provide a disclaimer that a student's speech is not endorsed or sponsored by the district. |
