Massachusetts S 315: An Act to remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning

Bill Text

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 743 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 315

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Cynthia Stone Creem
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning.
_______________
PETITION OF:

NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS:
Cynthia Stone Creem Norfolk and Middlesex
Sal N. DiDomenico Middlesex and Suffolk 6/26/2025

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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 743 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 315
By Ms. Creem, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 315) of Cynthia Stone Creem for
legislation relative to remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning.
Education.

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 247 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________

An Act to remodel public school athletics through social-emotional learning.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:

1 Section 37O of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
2 is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:-
3 (o) The department of elementary and secondary education shall publish, on or before
4 June 30, 2025, guidelines for the implementation of social and emotional learning curricula in
5 middle and high school athletic programs.
6 Such curricula shall include, but shall not be limited to, explicitly teaching students and
7 coaches how to: (1) create safe, supportive and bias-free team cultures; (2) provide students age-
8 appropriate leadership roles role in making decisions and carrying out responsibilities within the
9 team framework, including empowering students to speak up and report behaviors that are

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10 contrary to a safe, supportive and bias-free culture; (3) formulate lessons and guidance that
11 address hate, bias and negative behaviors to foster healthy, responsible norms on sports teams;
12 (4) build and sustain positive relationships with others; and (5) develop such other skills that will
13 assist them in overcoming physical, social, and emotional obstacles in athletic competition and in
14 their lives, such as emotion and stress management, building and sustaining positive
15 relationships with others, self-discipline and self-motivation, setting personal and collective
16 goals, resisting negative social pressure, conflict resolution, ethical decision making and problem
17 solving.
18 The guidelines shall be updated biennially. A school district shall consider the guidelines
19 if it elects to integrate social emotional learning into its athletic programs. For purposes of this
20 section, social and emotional learning shall mean the processes by which children acquire the
21 knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to recognize and manage their emotions, demonstrate
22 caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and
23 constructively handle challenging social situations. The department of elementary and secondary
24 education shall integrate the guidelines into the safe and supportive schools framework created
25 pursuant to section 1P of chapter 69.