Each school district requesting full approval of a vocational technical education program shall demonstrate that the program meets the following approval criteria:
Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, each school and program shall annually submit its admissions policy to the Department by August 15th, publish it in its Program of Studies, post a copy on the school website, and provide a copy to each student applicant and their parent/guardian. Vocational schools and programs shall ensure that all admissions materials are in both English and the primary language of the home, if such primary language is other than English.
Each policy shall include the following:
Vocational schools and programs that use selective criteria shall not use criteria that have the effect of disproportionately excluding persons of a particular race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability, unless they demonstrate that such criteria have been validated as essential to participation in vocational programs; and alternative equally valid criteria that do not have such a disproportionate adverse effect are unavailable. Selective criteria shall be approved annually by the school's board of trustees or school committee.
Vocational technical schools and programs shall maintain a record of all students who apply for admission, enroll in the school, or are placed on a waitlist, and their score on admission criteria, if used, to facilitate an analysis and evaluation of the admissions system and its compliance with 603 CMR 4.03(6). The school or program shall provide such information to the Department upon request.
The Department may intervene in cases where the admissions policies and practices of vocational technical schools and programs do not comply with applicable state and federal laws and regulations, and order compliance actions, including revisions to, or replacement of, existing admission policies. Such intervention may include a requirement that such vocational technical schools and programs institute an admissions lottery.
Sending districts shall offer vocational schools and programs opportunities to provide middle school students with information about vocational programs and careers on-site at their middle schools, as well as through mail and email. Sending districts may not count middle school student tours of vocational schools or programs during the school day as unexcused absences if the vocational school or program confirms the student's participation.
603 CMR 4.03