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December 21, 2024 Clouds | 27°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Section 1: Definitions

Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:—

''Active duty'', full-time duty status in the active uniformed service of the United States, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders pursuant to 10 U.S.C. sections 1209 and 1211.

''Children of military families'', a school-aged child, enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12, in the household of an active duty member.

''Compact commissioner'', the voting representative of each compacting state appointed pursuant to section 7 of this compact.

''Deployment'', the period 1 month prior to the service members' departure from the members' home station on military orders to 6 months after returning to the members' home station.

''Education records'', those official records, files and data directly related to a student and maintained by the school or local education agency, including, but not limited to, records encompassing all the material kept in the student's cumulative folder such as general identifying data, records of attendance and of academic work completed, records of achievement and results of evaluative tests, health data, disciplinary status, test protocols and individualized education programs.

''Extracurricular activities'', a voluntary activity sponsored by the school or local education agency or an organization sanctioned by the local education agency. Extracurricular activities include, but are not limited to, preparation for and involvement in public performances, contests, athletic competitions, demonstrations, displays and club activities.

''Interstate commission on educational opportunity for military children'' or ''interstate commission'', the commission that is created under section 9 of this compact.

''Local education agency'', a public authority legally constituted by the state as an administrative agency to provide control of and direction for kindergarten through grade 12 public educational institutions.

''Member state'', a state that has enacted this compact.

''Military installation'', a base, camp, post, station, yard, center, homeport facility for any ship or other activity under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense, including any leased facility, which is located within any of the several states, the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marianas Islands and any other United States territory. Such term does not include any facility used primarily for civil works, rivers and harbors projects or flood control projects.

''Non-member state'', a state that has not enacted this compact.

''Receiving state'', the state to which a child of a military family is sent, brought or caused to be sent or brought.

''Rule'', a written statement by the interstate commission promulgated under section 12 of this compact that is of general applicability, implements, interprets or prescribes a policy or provision of the compact or an organizational, procedural or practice requirement of the interstate commission and has the force and effect of statutory law in a member state, and includes the amendment, repeal or suspension of an existing rule.

''Sending state'', the state from which a child of a military family is sent, brought or caused to be sent or brought.

''State'', a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marianas Islands and any other United States territory.

''Student'', the child of a military family for whom the local education agency receives public funding and who is formally enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12.

''Transition'', the formal and physical process of transferring from school to school or the period of time in which a student moves from 1 school in the sending state to another school in the receiving state.

''Uniformed services'', the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, including the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Public Health Services.

''Veteran'', a person who served in the uniformed services and who was discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable.