Prohibits individuals under the age of twenty-one from gambling

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Joe Addabbo

The bill directs DESE (with DPH and recovery high school principals) to study costs and enrollment criteria for recovery high schools and report findings to the Legislature by June

COMMITTED TO RULES

Summary — S.2610 (2025) — "An Act relative to recovery high schools"

Note on title discrepancy
- The metadata supplied at the top (“Prohibits individuals under the age of twenty‑one from gambling”) does not match the bill text. The official bill text for S.2610 is titled “An Act relative to recovery high schools.” This summary follows the bill text.

Purpose and intent
- Directs the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), working with principals of the commonwealth’s recovery high schools and in consultation with the Department of Public Health (DPH), to study costs and enrollment criteria for recovery high schools and report findings to the Legislature. The study is intended to inform policy and funding decisions related to recovery high schools.

Key provisions
- DESE responsibilities (notwithstanding other law):
1. Examine costs associated with sending students to a recovery high school (as defined in subsection (a) of G.L. c.71, §91).
2. Determine the average cost per pupil at recovery high schools in the Commonwealth.
3. In consultation with DPH, determine whether enrollment in a recovery high school should require a medical diagnosis of “substance use disorder or dependency, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV‑TR.”
- Consultation required with principals of the five recovery high schools in Massachusetts.
- Reporting deadline: DESE must submit its findings to the chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees, the chairs of the Joint Committee on Education, and the chairs of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery by June 30, 2026.

Who would be affected
- DESE and DPH (administrative duty to study and report).
- Principals and administrators of the five recovery high schools (consultation partners, data sources).
- Students and families who use or may seek recovery high school services (potentially affected by any future policy recommending diagnostic requirements or funding changes).
- School districts, payers, and legislators (may use findings to shape funding and eligibility rules).

Timeline and procedural status
- Introduced July 31, 2025. Reported by the Senate committee on Education (filed Sept. 22, 2025) and referred to Senate Ways and Means. DESE report due June 30, 2026.
- Current status entries show multiple committee referrals and calendar actions; consult the official legislative website for the most up‑to‑date status.

Potential implications
- The study could inform whether recovery high schools receive targeted funding or whether enrollment eligibility should be tied to a clinical diagnosis — a change that could affect access, confidentiality, and referral processes. The DSM‑IV‑TR reference raises questions about diagnostic criteria and whether more current diagnostic standards (e.g., DSM‑5) should be considered in implementation.