Section 29:2MMMMM - Genocide Education Trust Fund(a) For the purposes of this section, the terms community-based organization and genocide shall have the same meanings as defined in section 98 of chapter 71.(b) There is hereby established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Genocide Education Trust Fund for the purpose of educating middle and high school students on the history of genocide. The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall administer the fund to assist in promoting the teaching of human rights issues in all public schools and school districts, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide. There shall be credited to the fund: (i) revenue from appropriations and other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants and donations to further genocide education; (iii) revenue from fines imposed for a hate crime or civil rights violation pursuant to section 37 or section 39 of chapter 265; and (iv) interest earned on money in the fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund.(c) Amounts credited to the fund may be expended, without further appropriation, by the commissioner for purposes related to the instruction of middle and high school students on the history of genocide, including, but not limited to: (i) development of curricular materials detailing the underlying causes, international reaction, progression and aftermath of genocide; and (ii) professional development training, including the provision of trainings, seminars, conferences and materials, for educators to use in the teaching of genocide. Annually, not less than 50 per cent of the funds expended shall be allocated to public schools or school districts.In expending amounts credited to the fund, the commissioner may prioritize:
(i) underserved communities across the commonwealth, including those public schools or school districts with high concentrations of economically-disadvantaged students; (ii) communities that have experienced an incident motivated by racial, ethnic or religious bias; and (iii) schools implementing a genocide education program for the first time consistent with the standards set by the department of elementary and secondary education. (d) Amounts received from private sources shall be approved by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education and subject to review before being deposited in the fund to ensure that pledged funds are not accompanied by conditions, explicit or implicit, on the implementation of genocide education programming that may be detrimental to the neutral and rigorous teaching of the history of genocide or that may unduly influence the direction of genocide education policy. The review shall be made publicly available on the department's website.(e) There shall be a competitive grant program to promote the instruction of middle and high school students on the history of genocide developed and administered by the department of elementary and secondary education for all public schools and school districts. The department may expend funds from the fund for this grant program. The department may give preference to grant applications that include:
(i) input from relevant community stakeholders, including, but not limited to, local officials, municipal human rights commissions and community-based organizations; or (ii) plans to partner with community-based organizations or otherwise engage with the applicant's local community. The department may provide funds and other resources to public schools and school districts as needed to ensure that every public school and school district has the opportunity to apply for grants.
(f) Annually, not later than October 1, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the joint committee on education and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activities. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the source and amount of funds received; (ii) the expenditures made from the fund and the purposes of such expenditures; (iii) any grants provided to relevant community stakeholders and other stakeholder organizations; (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next fiscal year; (v) the number of schools and school districts that have used the fund to implement a new program or enhance or maintain current programming; and (vi) the number of schools and school districts that applied for, but were not granted, funding. The report shall be publicly available on the department's website.Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 29, § 2MMMMM
Added by Acts 2021 , c. 98, § 1, eff. 12/2/2021.