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S 353

Relates to the appointment of the state medicaid director

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Rachel May and 2 co-sponsors

Prohibits excluding school-age students with disabilities from any school-sponsored interscholastic athletic or extracurricular activity; requires inclusion with accommodations.

REFERRED TO HEALTH
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Bill Summary · S 353

Bill Summary — S.353 (2025)

Title (filed): An Act to prevent discrimination in interscholastic athletic and extracurricular activities
Introduced: February 3, 2025
Primary sponsor (filed in text): Ryan C. Fattman
Chapter amended: Chapter 71B of the Massachusetts General Laws
Current status: Referred to Committee on Health; hearing scheduled for 05/06/2025; passed Senate 03/03/2025; delivered to House (see “Procedural status” below).

Note on metadata: the bill text inserted with the docket concerns disabilities and school activities. Other metadata (a different title referencing the state Medicaid director and an out‑of‑state list of federal senators as sponsors) appears inconsistent with the bill text and likely reflects clerical errors in the provided materials. This summary focuses on the enacted text inserted into Chapter 71B.

Purpose / Intent

To prohibit exclusion of school‑age children with disabilities from participation in any school‑sponsored interscholastic athletic or extracurricular activity. The intent is to ensure students with disabilities are not precluded from school‑sponsored athletics or extracurricular programs because of their disability.

Key provisions

  • Adds Section 18 to Chapter 71B: “Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, any school age child with a disability shall not be precluded from participating in any school‑sponsored interscholastic athletic or extracurricular activity.”
  • The provision is broad and categorical: it bars preclusion on the basis of disability from any school‑sponsored interscholastic athletic or extracurricular activity.

Who would be affected

  • Public school students of school age who have disabilities; likely applies to school districts, charter schools, and other entities operating school‑sponsored interscholastic athletics or extracurricular activities.
  • School administrators, athletic directors, coaches, and special education staff who manage eligibility and participation.
  • Potentially private schools and non‑public programs to the extent they are subject to state law or receive public funding.

Practical implications and considerations

  • Schools would be required to allow participation by students with disabilities and may need to provide reasonable accommodations, individualized assessments, or modifications to permit participation consistent with safety and program integrity.
  • The statutory language is brief and lacks detail on definitions (e.g., “school age,” “disability”), exceptions (medical/safety exclusions), procedures for accommodations, or enforcement and remedies — issues likely to arise in implementation and litigation.
  • Could prompt administrative guidance or regulations from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and increased IEP/504 planning around extracurricular participation. May have fiscal implications if accommodations (assistive equipment, personnel) are required; none are specified in the bill.

Procedural status & timeline (as provided)

  • 2025-01-08: Referred to Health (initial entry in docket)
  • 2025-02-03: Introduced in Senate; read twice and referred (committee entries show Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs and Education in some records)
  • 2025-02-27: Referred to Committee on Education (record shows “House concurred” same day—appears inconsistent)
  • 2025-03-03: Passed Senate; delivered to Assembly; referred to Health
  • 2025-04-22: Hearing scheduled for 05/06/2025, 1:00–5:00 PM (room B‑2)

Related/previous legislation

  • Companion/related entries listed include HR 202, SD 648, A 2173 and prior‑session bills S 8082, S 1811, S 1592, S 985. These may represent parallel or earlier attempts on similar subject matter.

Summary assessment

S.353 is a narrowly worded statutory amendment designed to bar exclusion of school‑age children with disabilities from school‑sponsored interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities. Its broad prohibition could expand access but raises implementation questions (definitions, safety exceptions, accommodation standards, enforcement, costs) that the text does not address. Additional legislative, regulatory or policy detail would be needed to clarify how schools should balance inclusion with safety and program integrity.

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

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