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Bill

S 420

Relates to false claims about recyclability and plastic container labeling

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Liz Krueger and 2 co-sponsors

Allows MA public school students in 4-H to be credited present for up to 5 days per year with make-up work ensured, aligning 4-H participation with field trips.

REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
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Bill Summary · S 420

Summary — S.420 (2025): An Act relative to supporting student participation in 4‑H programs

Status: Reported and committed to Finance (introduced in Senate 02/05/2025). Effective date: 2025–2026 academic year.

Purpose

To ensure Massachusetts public school students who participate in activities or programs sponsored by Massachusetts 4‑H are treated similarly to students on educational field trips — specifically, to prevent penalizing attendance and grades for participating in 4‑H programs and to require reasonable administrative accommodations.

Key provisions

  • Adds a new Section 22 to Chapter 76 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
  • Attendance credit
    • Students participating in Massachusetts 4‑H activities/programs must be credited as present by their enrolled school for up to 5 school days per academic year, in the same manner as an educational field trip.
    • School committees cannot count such students absent for up to 5 days for this reason.
  • Documentation
    • Upon request by a school committee, a Massachusetts 4‑H agent must provide documentation verifying a student’s participation.
  • Academic accommodations
    • School committees must provide students opportunities to make up missed schoolwork and ensure grades are not adversely affected because of attendance or participation in 4‑H activities.
  • Exceptions
    • No attendance credit during periods when the Commissioner of Education has scheduled the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests.
    • No credit if the student is suspended or expelled for the period in question, where suspension/expulsion would otherwise preclude participation in an educational field trip.

Who is affected

  • Primary: Public school students in Massachusetts who participate in Massachusetts 4‑H programs and their families.
  • Secondary: School committees/school districts (attendance recording, makeup work policies), Massachusetts 4‑H agents (responsible for providing participation documentation).
  • Potential administrative impact on schools for recordkeeping and coordination with 4‑H.

Procedural notes & timeline

  • Bill introduced in the Senate 02/05/2025; referred to relevant committees (Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry; Education); reported and committed to Finance 04/29/2025.
  • Becomes effective for the 2025–2026 academic year if enacted.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Supports extracurricular learning by protecting attendance and grade status for 4‑H participants, potentially increasing student access to agricultural, STEM, leadership, and community programs.
  • Administrative burden: school staff may need to track 4‑H absences, process documentation requests, and manage makeup-work timelines.
  • Aligns 4‑H participation with existing policies for field trips but excludes statewide testing windows and disciplinary suspensions.

Note: The bill text provided concerns Massachusetts 4‑H participation. Some metadata in the submission (title referencing recyclability/plastic labeling and out‑of‑state sponsors) appears inconsistent with the bill text; this summary is based on the Massachusetts 4‑H bill language.

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

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