HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2847        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 495

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act to authorize codes of conduct for players, coaches, officials, and parents in athletic settings..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 1B of Chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sentence:—The board shall promulgate guidelines relative to a code of conduct for public school athletic programs for the health and safety of all participants.

SECTION 2. Chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 47A the following new section:—Section 47B. Athletic Programs Codes of Conduct.

Upon acceptance of this section, a school committee may require that all students, coaches, officials, or parents of students as a condition of participation in all athletic programs by the student sign a contractual code of conduct which may require the student, parents, coaches or officials to refrain from verbal or physical threats or abuse aimed at any other student, coach, official or other parent. The school committee may prohibit the presence of such student, coach, parents or official at subsequent events if it determines the contractual code has been violated.