HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 939        FILED ON: 1/14/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Alice Hanlon Peisch

_________________

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 adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act furthering enrollment preferences for high need students..

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 939        FILED ON: 1/14/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

_______________

An Act furthering enrollment preferences for high need students..

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. Subsection (n) of section 89 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the second paragraph the following paragraph:-   

Subject to regulations promulgated by the board, commonwealth charter schools may voluntarily offer enrollment preferences to certain high needs students, including but not limited to, students with special needs, English learners, students in foster care or previously in foster care, or other at-risk students, and may enroll said students at any time during the school year. Said enrollment preferences shall apply both to students who are admitted through the lottery and students admitted off of the waitlist pursuant to this section.   

SECTION 2. The board of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this act. At a minimum, such regulations shall define the specific student subgroups that will be eligible for enrollment preferences authorized under Section 1, and the process for implementing said enrollment preferences; provided that students experiencing homelessness and students who have been identified as Students with Emergency Resettlement Status may be included in the list of specific student subgroups that will be eligible for said enrollment preferences.