Bill > S349

This bill proposes several amendments to Chapter 151C of Massachusetts General Laws to expand protections against discrimination in educational settings. The bill introduces a new definition of "special medical status," which includes individuals with disabilities as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as those who have received or not received medical treatment, whether preventative, curative, or palliative. The amendments systematically add "special medical status" and "continued enrollment" to existing clauses about discrimination, effectively broadening protections to prevent discriminatory practices not just during initial admission but throughout a student's educational experience. Specifically, the bill modifies several sections of the law to include "special medical status" alongside other protected characteristics like national origin, and explicitly extends anti-discrimination provisions to cover continued enrollment in educational institutions. These changes aim to provide more comprehensive protection against discrimination for individuals with medical conditions or disabilities in educational settings, ensuring they cannot be denied admission, treated differently, or excluded based on their medical status.

Education

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S349