§ 38 — Support services available to military-connected students

[ Text of section added by 2024, 178, Sec. 30 effective August 8, 2024.]Section 38. (a) For the purposes of this section, "military-connected student'' shall mean a student who is an unemancipated person whose parent or guardian: (i) is a current or reserve member of the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, United States Space Force, Army Nurse Corps, Navy Nurse Corps, United States Air Force, Air National Guard or Army National Guard; or (ii) a member of a military or reserve force under clause (i) who was killed in the line of duty.(b) A school district shall provide information about support services available to a military-connected student if their parent or guardian is called or ordered to active duty pursuant to Title 10 or 32 of the United States Code and said parent or guardian notifies the district of such active duty or a student's parent or guardian is a member of a military or reserve force and was killed in the line of duty. The school district shall include information on school-based support services available to such student related to mental and behavioral health supports.(c) The department shall coordinate with the military division of the commonwealth to carry out subsection (b), including posting information about military family resources to the department's website and providing informational materials for use by school districts to inform parents and guardians of the supports available under said subsection (b).(d) A school district may notify a teacher of the enrollment of a military-connected student at the request of the military-connected student's parent or guardian to provide the teacher with the opportunity to monitor a military-connected student's level of academic engagement and provide support as needed.