AHEM Home Page

Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts:
Strengthening the grassroots presence of homeschoolers in Massachusetts

Home Homeschooling in Massachusetts Get Involved Support Archives Links Fun Contact Us Site Map

Links to Other Current Issues

The Logic Behind Our Legislative Alerts

Current state legislation

Current federal homeschooling legislation

Memo re: "Recruiting Priority for Home School Diploma Graduates..." from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, 1/21/2005

Charter Schools and E-schools

Homeschooling in the Media

Get Adobe Reader

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current News

Legislative Update - March 2008
The current legislative session, which got underway in January of 2007, will end in December of 2008. There has been activity on several bills that AHEM has been tracking.

The following bills have been included in SB 2462, "An Act to Improve Dropout Prevention and Reporting of Graduation Rates":
HB 394, "An Act Raising the Compulsory Attendance Age to 18"
HB 401, "An Act Relative to School Age Attendance Requirements"
HB 402, "An Act to Prevent Students From Dropping Out of School"
HB 463, "An Act Relative to Encouraging Students to Stay in School"
HB 576, "An Act to Increase the Mandatory School Age"
HB 577, "An Act Relative to the Development of a Comprehensive Strategy to Prevent Students from Dropping Out of School"
SB 304, "An Act Relative to School Attendance"
SB 329, "An Act Changing the Maximum Required Age for School Attendance"
SB 343, "An Act to Encourage School Attendance and to Strengthen Parental Responsibility"
SB 357, "An Act Relative to School Attendance"
SB 366, "An Act to Amend School Attendance"

This new bill, SB 2462, makes tools available to school districts for accurate reporting of high school graduation and drop out data. It also establishes the "Graduation and Dropout Commission" to study dropout prevention and dropout recovery programs throughout the state. This commission will make recommendations on certain issues, such as raising the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18. The text of the new bill can be found at http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/senate/185/st02/st02462.htm.

HB 400, "An Act Relative to the Awarding of High School Diplomas," has been included in HB 4536, an order that gives the Education committee the authority to sit during the recess of the General Court to investigate and study issues relating to MCAS. The committee will make recommendations to the General Court on or before 12/31/08. The text of this order can be found at http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/185/ht04pdf/ht04536.pdf.

HB 416, "An Act Providing That Parents and Legal Guardians be Held Responsible for School Attendance of Children in Their Care," is now part of HB 4596, a study order relative to authorizing the committee on Education to make an investigation and study of certain House documents concerning governance, parents and bilingual education.

HB 507, "An Act Relative to Homeschooling" and HB 523, "An Act Permitting Non Public School Students to take MCAS Exam" have become part of HB 4530. This bill gives the DOE responsibility for investigating the feasibility and costs associated with allowing non-public school and homeschool students to voluntarily be allowed to take MCAS in grade 10. The DOE will report their findings by November 15th, 2008. We have included the full text HB 4530 below.

"AN ACT PERMITTING NON PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TAKE MCAS EXAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
The Department of Education shall issue a report, not later than November 15, 2008, on the feasibility and costs associated with non-public school students and home schooled students in grade 10 voluntarily taking the MCAS exam at a non-public school site; and provided further, that said report shall be provided to the secretary of administration and finance, the secretary of education, the chair of the house ways and means committee, the chair of the senate ways and means committee, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on education."

In MA law, homeschoolers are referred to as "otherwise instructed" in the compulsory attendance statute, Chapter 76, section 1. AHEM has contacted the Research Director of the Education committee, Nate Mackinnon, to ask that the term "home schooled" either be replaced with the term "otherwise instructed" or left out completely if otherwise instructed students are considered as "non-public school students." Mr. Mackinnon is going to check with counsel about whether changing the term is advisable (it may not be necessary since the bill does not amend a statute), but if it is, they will change the terminology. He says the intent in including it was a gesture to assure homeschoolers they were not being overlooked as a population, should voluntarily taking the MCAS become an option.

There has been no activity on HB 399, "An Act Relative to Full Day Kindergarten" and HB 527, "An Act Relative to Mandatory Minimum Age for School Attendance."

Back to Get Involved

The information on this website does not constitute legal advice; it is provided for informational purposes only.


Home | Homeschooling in MA | Get Involved | Support | Archives | Links | Fun | Contact