Skip to main content
For Families » Summary of Laws

Summary of Laws

Massachusetts Laws
Chapter 622
"Every person shall have a right to attend the public schools of the town where he actually resides, subject to the following section. No person shall be excluded from or discriminated against in admission to a public school of any town, or in obtaining the advantages, privileges and courses of study of such public school on account of race, color, sex,religion, notional origin or sexual orientation."


Chapter 71A – Transitional Bilingual Education
"The English language is the common public language of the United States of America and of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts…..Immigrant parents are eager to have their children become fluent and literate in English…Immigrant children can easily acquire full fluency and literacy in a new language, such as English, if they are taught that language in the classroom as soon as they enter school…Therefore it is resolved that: all children in Massachusetts public schools shall be taught English as rapidly and effectively as possible."


Federal Laws

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
"No person in the United States shall on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."


Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
"…the Federal government, as exemplified by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and section 204(f) of the Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974, has a special and continuing obligation to ensure that States and local school districts take appropriate action to provide equal educational opportunities to children and youth of limited English proficiency.."


Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments to the 1964 Civil Rights Acts
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."