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Bill

S 344

Relates to autonomous vehicle driving

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jeremy Cooney and 3 co-sponsors

Requires districts to appoint expectant/parenting student liaisons develop individualized graduation plans and connect students to supports to boost retention and graduation rates.

PRINT NUMBER 344B
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Bill Summary · S 344

Summary — S.344 (Print 344A): "An Act enhancing the educational outcomes of expectant and parenting students"

Note on source material
- The materials provided for S.344 contain multiple, conflicting texts (a federal-seeming DHS screening directive, a Massachusetts Senate bill on expectant/parenting students, PDF binary data, and mixed sponsor/committee entries). This summary focuses on the coherent Massachusetts bill text included: an amendment to Chapter 76 to create supports for expectant and parenting students. Where the record is ambiguous, I flag that explicitly and recommend confirming the official legislative source.

Purpose

To improve retention and graduation rates for students who are pregnant or parenting by requiring model policies, local “expectant and parenting student liaisons,” training, individualized graduation plans, and connections to academic and social supports.

Key provisions

  • Definitions: establishes terms (Department = MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, “expectant student,” “parenting student,” “parenting student liaison,” and references to Title IX and Title IX coordinator).
  • State guidance and resources:
    • The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), after consulting relevant agencies and partners, must publish on its website (i) a model expectant and parenting student policy and (ii) a list of resources, best practices, and research. Materials must be incorporated into liaison training and updated at least every 3 years.
  • Liaison positions and funding:
    • Public schools with grades 7+ located in municipalities that (i) have teen birth rates (ages 13–19 per 1,000) among the top 10 in the state or (ii) had more than 150 births to females ages 13–19 in a year qualify for a designated expectant and parenting student liaison modeled after an evidence-based program at Chelsea High School.
    • DESE will determine and provide funding amounts for the liaison model; districts decide which qualifying schools receive liaisons, with preference to schools with the highest percentages of expectant/parenting students.
    • Each school must post the liaison’s name and contact information on its website.
  • Liaison duties:
    • Create, in close consultation with the student, an individualized graduation plan that: (i) ensures the student meets graduation requirements, (ii) includes flexible scheduling and alternative credit options as needed, and (iii) furthers post-graduation college/career goals. Plans may include a proposed end date for maternity/paternity leave.
    • Present education options impartially; engage family or an alternative adult supporter with student consent.
    • Regularly review and revise the plan; provide or connect students to academic and social-emotional supports (childcare, health care, transportation, flexible scheduling, alternative credits, parenting/life skills classes).
    • Assist students by coordinating with community-based organizations and ensure students are informed of their Title IX rights.
  • Access and training:
    • Liaisons shall have access to necessary school records for planning (notwithstanding conflicting laws).
    • Districts must ensure liaison training covering federal rights, graduation requirements, alternative scheduling/options, community resources, and supportive practices.
  • Data and deadlines (state-level):
    • The Department of Public Health will calculate municipal teen birth rates and totals; DPH must notify DESE of findings by April 1, 2026.
    • DESE must notify school districts requiring a liaison placement by May 1, 2026.
  • Text truncated: The version provided truncates subsection (e) and later sections; additional duties or protections may be in the omitted portion.

Who is affected

  • Expectant and parenting students in Massachusetts public schools with grade 7+, particularly in municipalities with high teen birth rates or high absolute numbers of teen births.
  • School districts and schools required to host liaisons (and those that choose to adopt the model).
  • DESE and the Department of Public Health (administrative responsibilities), and community service providers partnered to support students.

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Filed as Massachusetts Senate Docket No. 1827 (filed 1/16/2025 / text notes reference 2025–2026 session).
  • Legislative actions in the provided log include readings and referrals to multiple committees (Judiciary, Education, Transportation), a “Print Number 344A,” and a hearing scheduled for 07/08/2025. The mixed committee/sponsor data appears inconsistent across entries — verify the official Massachusetts legislative website for current status and accurate sponsor list.
  • Specific statutory deadlines in the bill: DPH calculation due by April 1, 2026; DESE notice to districts by May 1, 2026; DESE model and resource lists to be updated at least every 3 years.

Notes & recommendations

  • The source packet includes content unrelated to the MA school-bill (e.g., federal DHS findings and screening directives). Confirm which S.344 record is authoritative for your jurisdiction.
  • The provided bill text is truncated; the final enacted language may include further procedural safeguards, confidentiality rules, Title IX implementation details, or funding specifics. Consult the official enrolled bill or legislative office for the complete text and current status.

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

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