SECTION 1. Section 3 of chapter 71B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the twelfth paragraph the following paragraph:--

Parents, guardians or persons with custody of a student and, in the case of students with legal authority to act on their own behalf, students who have either requested a hearing before the bureau of special education appeals seeking resolution of any dispute, or who are parties to a proceeding initiated by a school committee at such bureau may receive reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, including the costs associated with expert witnesses, as a prevailing party if they obtain relief on a significant claim as a result of such hearing request, or an appeal thereof, that effects a material alteration in the parties’ legal relationship, and is not merely de minimis, whether such relief is the result of a voluntary change in the school committee’s conduct or a settlement agreement.