SECTION 1: Chapter 70 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 17 the following section:-

Section 18. SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR TEACHERS PROGRAM

(1)For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

“Authorized ecommerce vendor” means an ecommerce vendor that has been approved by the Executive Office of Education.

“Ecommerce” means a commercial transaction, which may include the transmission of funds or data or both, conducted electronically via the internet.

“Eligible teacher” means a teacher employed in good standing at a public school in this Commonwealth pursuant to a school year contract and who has the primary responsibility of providing classroom instruction to students for not less than 60 percent of each school day on average, measured weekly.

“School Supplies for Teachers Program” or “program” means the program established pursuant to this part to provide financial and technical assistance to eligible teachers who purchase school supplies online as provided in this part.

“User” means an eligible teacher who is certified by a participating local school system or public school as eligible to participate in the program and who has a user account.

“User account” means the unique platform account.

(2)The School Supplies for Teachers Program is established to provide financial and technical assistance to teachers who purchase school supplies online

(3)The requirements of this part shall be subject to appropriation of funds by the General Court or the availability of other funds for such purpose.

(4)The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall:

(a)Establish a program to allocate funds for eligible teachers to be used at the discretion of such teachers for the online purchase of school supplies as provided herein;

(b)Establish such policies, rules, and regulations as necessary for the implementation; and

(c)Identify one or more authorized software services providers to offer and support a user-friendly online ecommerce platform that:

(i)Processes the allocation of funds to the user  accounts of eligible teachers for the online purchase of school supplies from authorized ecommerce vendors; and

(ii) Includes appropriate fiscal management and payment systems and reporting and training tools, as required by the Executive Office of Education.

(d)Ensure that purchases using program funds are restricted to online purchases of school supplies from authorized ecommerce vendors;

(e)Promulgate guidelines and provide technical assistance to facilitate local school systems, public schools, and teachers utilizing the program and to ensure program purchases are restricted to allowable expenses; and

(f)Establish processes as necessary for the implementation of the program consistent with the policies, rules, and regulations of the Executive Office of Education.

(5)Each local school system or public school shall certify, as required by the Department Elementary and Secondary Education, the eligibility of each teacher employed by such local school system or public school who requests a user account; provided, that to be eligible for a user account a teacher shall be employed in good standing at a public school pursuant to a school year contract and have the primary responsibility of providing classroom instruction to students not less than 60 percent of each school day on average, measured weekly.