Paragraph (1) of section 4 of chapter 32 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following subsection:-

(t) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, any member with a retirement account from a nonpublic school employed in habilitative services pursuant to section 12C of chapter 71B may, before the date any retirement allowance becomes effective for them, pay into the annuity savings fund of the appropriate system in 1 sum, or in installments, provided the maximum amount shall not exceed $5,000 per year, upon such terms and conditions as the board may prescribe, had such service been rendered in a public school of the commonwealth or public institution of higher education and had they been a member of the teachers' retirement system or the state retirement system during the period such service was rendered. Upon the completion of such payments, such member shall receive the same credit for such period of their previous nonpublic school service as would have been allowed if such service had been rendered by such member in a public school of the commonwealth or public institution of higher education.