The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Final Student Discipline Regulations: 603 CMR 53, as revised April 28, 2014

To:

Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

From:

Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D., Commissioner

Date:

April 28, 2014

I have presented to you today revised Student Discipline Regulations dated April 28, 2014 and a Motion to Adopt Regulations as revised April 28, 2014, that replace the Regulations and Motion sent to you last week. The new proposed final regulations contain two small but important technical changes in the definitions of long-term and short-term suspension, §53:02 (7) and (11), respectively. Specifically, we are adding the following sentence to each definition:

A principal may, in his or her discretion, allow a student to serve a [long-term] [short-term] suspension in school.

These revisions are recommended because long-term and short-term suspensions are defined as removals from the school premises. One important purpose of the new statute and regulations is to prevent the unnecessary exclusion of students from school, while retaining the authority of school principals to exercise judgment in each case. The new language makes clear that a principal may, in his or her discretion, elect to allow a student to serve either a long-term or short-term suspension in school, rather than excluding the student from the school building.

In addition to the above, the revised strikethrough version of 603 CMR 53 contains an underlined sentence at §53:08(3)b)5 that was inadvertently omitted in the prior version.

Attachments:

Attachments:

Final Regulations as Adopted by the Board, 603 CMR 53, Clean Version