Our Work at the Local Level: Massachusetts

| By: Committee for Children

This was an important summer for the kids of Massachusetts.  In August, Governor Deval Patrick made history as he signed Safe and Supportive Schools provisions into law. With the enactment of these provisions, Massachusetts becomes a national leader in supporting schools and districts to create the whole-school safe and supportive environments that can serve as the foundation for all students, including those who have endured traumatic experiences, to learn and succeed.

The centerpiece of the new Safe and Supportive Schools law is the statewide Safe and Supportive Schools Framework.  This statewide framework will help schools align the many school climate-related initiatives (anti-bullying, dropout prevention, positive discipline, and so forth) that are necessary for creating safe and supportive learning environments.  In addition, a groundbreaking definition states that a safe and supportive school is one that supports students in four key domains: relationships with adults and peers, self-regulation of emotions and behaviors, academic and non-academic success, and physical health and wellbeing.

Join the Massachusetts Safe and Supportive Schools coalition.