H 4538
An Act relative to preventing educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth
Take action
Record your position on this measure.
Sign in to record your position, submit testimony, or contact your legislator.
Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill aims to prevent educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth in Massachusetts. It establishes clear definitions for key terms like ‘abuse,’ ‘sexual misconduct,’ and ‘employee,’ and mandates that all schools adopt abuse prevention policies. The bill also requires schools to conduct background checks on potential employees, provide training to educators on recognizing and reporting misconduct, and implement age-appropriate instruction for students on recognizing and reporting inappropriate behavior. Finally, it creates a statewide abuse prevention policy developed in consultation with several state agencies.
Key provisions
- Requires all schools to adopt a formal abuse prevention policy.
- Mandates biennial training for school employees on recognizing and reporting abuse and misconduct.
- Establishes a process for schools to conduct background checks on potential employees with direct contact with students.
- Requires schools to provide age-appropriate instruction to students on recognizing and reporting inappropriate behavior.
- Creates a statewide abuse prevention policy developed and updated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
- Defines key terms related to abuse, misconduct, and school personnel.
- Requires schools to maintain records of training sessions and applicant information.
- Addresses provisional employment and the disclosure of information regarding applicants.
Who is affected
- Educators (teachers, administrators, etc.)
- Students in Massachusetts schools
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Joint Committee on the Judiciary
Cosponsors
Brian M. Ashe
Bud L. Williams
Carole A. Fiola
David Allen Robertson
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
No arguments in favor have been submitted.
Submit yoursArguments opposed
Reasons to oppose this legislation.
No arguments opposed have been submitted.
Submit yoursRead the latest version inline or switch to a previous version.
Bill H.4538 194th (Current)
An Act relative to preventing educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth
View Text Print Preview Download PDF
Bill Information
Bill Information
Sponsor: Joint Committee on the Judiciary Status: Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means
Tabs
Bill History Cosponsors Committee Vote Committee Summary
Bill History
Displaying 3 actions for Bill H.4538
| Date | Branch | Action |
| 9/25/2025 | House | Reported from the committee on The Judiciary |
| 9/25/2025 | House | New draft of H573, H1634, H1733, H1734 and H1832 |
| 9/25/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means |
Similar Bills
H.1734 194th (Current)
An Act relative to preventing educator sexual misconduct and abuse of children and youth
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.