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Bill

S 415

Child Welfare Caregivers

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Jason Elliott and 6 co-sponsors

Creates a Massachusetts special commission to study classroom temperatures, HVAC upgrades, air quality, and funding/procurement, delivering findings and draft legislation.

Signed By Governor
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Bill Summary · S 415

Summary — S.415 (Print 415A): Resolve Creating a Special Commission to Study Classroom Temperatures

Note: The bill text provided is a Massachusetts legislative resolve establishing a study commission on classroom temperatures. Some metadata in the packet (title, sponsor lists) appears inconsistent with that text; this summary focuses on the content of the resolve itself.

Purpose

To create a special commission charged with studying regulation of minimum and maximum allowable air temperatures in public school classrooms and facilities, assessing the prevalence of air-conditioning in Massachusetts public schools, evaluating the impact of indoor air quality on children (including those with respiratory conditions and special needs), and reviewing Commonwealth funding and procurement/bidding processes for heating and air-conditioning upgrades.

Key provisions

  • Creates a special commission (a study body, not a regulatory change) with authority to investigate:
    • Appropriate minimum and maximum indoor air temperatures for public school classrooms and facilities;
    • Statistics on how many public schools are air-conditioned in Massachusetts;
    • Health impacts of indoor air quality on children, including those with respiratory conditions or special needs;
    • The Commonwealth’s state funding, procurement, and bidding processes for installing HVAC (air conditioning and heating) upgrades in public schools.
  • Requires the commission to produce findings, recommendations, and draft legislation based on its study.

Commission composition

The resolve specifies members (or their designees) including:
- Secretary of the Executive Office of Education (chair)
- Commissioner, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Commissioner, Department of Public Health
- Executive Director, Massachusetts School Building Authority
- Representatives from: Massachusetts Teachers Association; Massachusetts Association of School Committees; Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association
- Two teachers (selected by MTA) who have experienced classroom temperature difficulties
- A school nurse (selected by Massachusetts School Nurse Organization)
- President (or designee) of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
- Four legislators: two House members (appointed by Speaker and House minority leader) and two Senators (appointed by Senate President and Senate minority leader)

Timeline and deliverables

  • Chair must convene first commission meeting no later than December 1, 2025.
  • Commission must submit findings, recommendations, and draft legislation to the clerks of the House and Senate and to chairs of the Joint Committee on Education by December 1, 2026.

Who is affected / potential impacts

  • Public school students and staff statewide — findings could lead to statutory or regulatory temperature standards, changes to school HVAC funding priorities, and procurement reforms.
  • School districts and school building authorities — potential future capital projects or bidding/procurement changes to upgrade HVAC systems.
  • Children with respiratory conditions or special needs — study focuses on health impacts and accommodations.

Legislative status & actions (as provided)

  • Introduced in Senate: February 5, 2025 (Print No. 415A)
  • Read twice and referred (committee listings in the packet vary)
  • Referred to Committee on Education; also noted as referred to Labor and Commerce/Science/Transportation in packet
  • Hearing scheduled: July 21, 2025 (Gardner Auditorium)
  • Deliverable deadline for commission report: December 1, 2026

Related measures

  • Related/companion items listed in the packet (e.g., HR 851, SD 329, A 1200) and several prior-session bills are noted.

Notes / caveats

  • The packet contains inconsistent metadata (an initial title about minimum wage and a sponsors list that appears to be from another jurisdiction). This summary is limited to the resolve text establishing a Massachusetts special commission on classroom temperatures.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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