Chapter 71

Section 59A. In any town, having a valuation of less than two million five hundred thousand dollars, which is not a member of a superintendency union under the provision of section sixty-one, the school committee shall, subject to the approval of the department, employ a full-tim…

Section 59B. The superintendent of a school district shall appoint principals for each public school within the district at levels of compensation determined in accordance with policies established by the school committee. Principals employed under this section shall be the educa…

Section 59C. At each public elementary, secondary and independent vocational school in the commonwealth there shall be a school council consisting of the school principal, who shall co-chair the council; parents of students attending the school who shall be selected by the parent…

Section 59D. Superintendents and principals in every school district in the commonwealth shall pursue opportunities to establish school-community partnerships that may advance policy development, staff development, curriculum development, instructional enrichment and may provide …

Section 6. If a town of less than five hundred families or householders, according to such census, does not maintain a public high school offering four years of instruction, it shall pay the tuition of any pupil who resides therein and obtains from its school committee a certific…

Section 61. The school committees of two or more towns, each having a valuation less than two million five hundred thousand dollars, and having an aggregate maximum of seventy-five, and an aggregate minimum of twenty-five, schools, and the committees of four or more such towns, h…

Section 62. The department may form or readjust such unions whenever it becomes necessary to include one or more towns otherwise unable to comply with the preceding section, and in so doing may disregard the minimum number of schools prescribed therein, but no such readjustment s…

Section 63. The school committees of such towns shall, for the purposes of the union, be a joint committee and shall be the agent of each participating town, provided that any school committee of more than three members shall be represented therein by its chairman and two of its …

Section 64. The salary of the superintendent in such a union or in any twelve grade regional school district or the combined salary received by a person serving in a dual capacity as a superintendent in a union and a regional school district or in two or more regional school dist…

Section 67. A superintendent of schools who accepts any commission, fee, compensation, or reward of any kind for obtaining for any person a position as teacher in the public schools shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than five hundred dollars. A school di…

Section 68. Every town shall provide and maintain a sufficient number of schoolhouses, properly furnished and conveniently situated for the accommodation of all children therein entitled to attend the public schools. If the distance between a child's residence and the school he i…

Section 69. The school committee shall provide for each schoolhouse under its control, which is not otherwise supplied, flags of the United States of silk or bunting not less than two feet long, such flags or bunting to be manufactured in the United States, and suitable apparatus…

Section 69A. On every public school building within the commonwealth there may be placed in a conspicuous location a suitable plaque which shall contain the words ''For God and Country''. Such plaques may be donated by veterans or civic organizations or individuals.

Section 6A. Any city, town, or regional school district, acting through its school committee, may, if the school committee finds it has adequate space, accept in any of its schools, including vocational schools, any pupil who resides outside the commonwealth and may contract with…

Section 6B. (a) As used in this section, ''military-connected student'' shall mean a student who is an unemancipated person whose parent or guardian: (i) is in the active military service of the United States; or (ii) is full-time status during active service with the National Gu…

Section 70. A town may, at a town meeting, determine the situation of its schoolhouses.

Section 71. For the purpose of promoting the usefulness of public school property the school committee of any town may conduct such educational and recreational activities in or upon school property under its control, and, subject to such regulations as it may establish, and, con…

Section 71A. A school committee may, subject, however, to all other provisions of law, designate the locations for the erection of highway safety stations for children awaiting a school bus; provided, that such locations have been approved by the school superintendent or, as his …

Section 71B. A school committee may offer adult physical fitness programs to be held in the gymnasium of any school at any time during which such gymnasium facilities are not being used for school purposes.

Section 71C. All moneys received by the school committee in connection with the conduct of community school programs, so designated by prior vote of said committee, shall be deposited with the treasurer of the town or city. The school committee may expend, from such receipts and …

Section 71D. A school committee of any city, town, or regional school district may authorize the prepayment of tuition for a period not exceeding three months to any approved private school or approved program source which a student is attending under the provisions of chapter se…

Section 71E. In any city, town or regional school district that accepts this section, all monies received by the school committee in connection with the conduct of adult education and continuing education programs, including, but not limited to: (1) adult physical fitness program…

Section 71F. In any city or town which accepts this section, all monies received by the school committee as tuition payments for nonresident students and as state reimbursements for students who are foster care children shall be deposited with the treasurer of the town or city an…

Section 72. The school committee may prepare and sell lunches at one or more school buildings for the pupils and teachers of the public schools at such prices as it deems reasonable.

Section 72A. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: ''Federal community eligibility provision'', as described in 7 C.F.R. 245.9(f). ''Identified student percentage'', as defined in 7 C.F.…

Section 73. The superintendent of schools may, unless the committee votes otherwise, direct the closing of schools under his supervision in order that teachers may attend a meeting of a county association of teachers or an institute, conference, or convention held under the direc…

Section 74. This chapter shall not affect the right of any corporation established in a town to manage any estate or funds given or obtained for the purpose of supporting schools therein, or in any wise affect such estate or funds.

Section 75. If the school committee of any city or town determines that sufficient need exists in such city or town for providing a course of school instruction beyond the regular high school course of instruction, it shall submit in writing a plan of such course to the state dep…

Section 76. Any such school committee shall establish as one of the rules of admission to the benefits of such extended course of instruction that the persons therein enrolled, or responsible agents acting in their behalf, shall pay into the treasury of such city or town, toward …

Section 77. Two or more cities or towns in which the establishment of such extended course of instruction has been voted and approved as hereinabove provided may jointly establish and maintain such a course for the accommodation of said municipalities. The management and control …

Section 79. Any city or town may use the designation ''Junior College'' with respect to its maintenance of such extended course of instruction at a particular school therein, and the school committee of such city or town may, subject to the approval of the board of higher educati…

Section 7A. The state treasurer shall annually, on or before November twentieth, pay to the several towns subject to appropriation, the sums required as reimbursement for expenses approved by the commissioner of education, incurred by any town for the transportation of pupils not…

Section 7B. To provide for the reimbursement of part of the cost not reimbursable under section seven A incurred directly by a school department or indirectly by a city or town on account of an assessment made to meet the cost of maintaining a public transportation system used fo…

Section 7C. No financial assistance shall be provided by the commonwealth for the purchase of buses or the operation thereof to any applicant for such assistance unless such applicant and the secretary of transportation and construction shall have first entered into an agreement …

Section 80. Every teacher employed in any public school whose duties commence prior to twelve o'clock noon, shall be allowed a thirty-minute lunch period between the hours of ten o'clock in the forenoon and one o'clock in the afternoon, and shall not be required to perform any du…

Section 81. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections seventy-five to seventy-nine, inclusive, no junior college shall be established by a city or town after January first, nineteen hundred and fifty-nine.

Section 82. The right of students to freedom of expression in the public schools of the commonwealth shall not be abridged, provided that such right shall not cause any disruption or disorder within the school. Freedom of expression shall include without limitation, the rights an…

Section 83. School officials shall not abridge the rights of students as to personal dress and appearance except if such officials determine that such personal dress and appearance violate reasonable standards of health, safety and cleanliness.

Section 84. No student shall be suspended, expelled, or otherwise disciplined on account of marriage, pregnancy, parenthood or for conduct which is not connected with any school-sponsored activities; provided, however, that in the case of a pregnant student, the school committee …

Section 85. The board of education may adopt guidelines to implement the provisions of sections eighty-two to eighty-four, inclusive. School committees shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with guidelines of the board of education and the provisions of sections eighty-two…

Section 86. The provisions of sections eighty-three to eighty-five, inclusive, shall apply only to cities and towns which accept the same.

Section 87. The score of any group intelligence test administered to a student enrolled in a public school shall be removed from the record of said student at the end of the school year in which such test was so administered.

Section 88. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, all public high schools shall offer the same student information and on-campus recruiting opportunities to representatives of state or United States armed services as they offer to nonmilitary recruiters.

Section 89. (a) As used in this section the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:— ''Board'', the board of elementary and secondary education. ''Charter school'', commonwealth charter schools and Horace Mann charter sch…

Section 90. A parent or guardian of twins or higher order multiples may, if the children are in the same grade level at the same school request that the children be placed in the same classroom or in separate classrooms. The school may recommend classroom placement to the parents…

Section 91. (a) The term ''Recovery High School'' shall mean a public school or collaborative program for students diagnosed with substance use disorder or dependency, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV–TR, that provides: (1) a comprehensiv…

Section 92. (a) An Innovation School shall be a public school, operating within a public school district, that is established for the purpose of improving school performance and student achievement through increased autonomy and flexibility. An Innovation School may be establishe…

Section 93. Every public school providing computer access to students shall have a policy regarding internet safety measures to protect students from inappropriate subject matter and materials that can be accessed via the internet and shall notify the parents or guardians of all …

Section 94. (a) As used in this section the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:— ''Board'', the board of elementary and secondary education. ''Commissioner'', the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. ''…

Section 95. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:- ''Federal military reservation'', the Joint Base Cape Cod and Hanscom Air Force Base. ''Federal military reservation students'', childr…