Massachusetts H5284: An Act furthering enrollment preferences for high need students

What the bill says

From the introduced text, March 23, 2026:

SECTION 1. Subsection (n) of section 89 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the second paragraph the following paragraph:- Subject to regulations promulgated by the board, commonwealth charter schools may voluntarily offer enrollment preferences to certain high needs students, including, but not limited to, low income or economically disadvantaged students, English learners or former English learners, or students with disabilities, and may enroll said students at any time during the school year. Said enrollment preferences shall apply both to students who are admitted through the lottery and students admitted off of the waitlist pursuant to this section. SECTION 2. The board of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this act. At a minimum, such regulations shall define the specific student subgroups that will be eligible for enrollment preferences authorized under Section 1, and the process for implementing said enrollment preferences; provided that students experiencing homelessness and students who have been identified as Students with Emergency Resettlement Status may be included in the list of specific student subgroups that will be eligible for said enrollment preferences.

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Education, Joint Committee on (I) · primary sponsor
• Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D, 32nd Middlesex)
• Alice Peisch (D)
• Shirley Arriaga (D)

Latest actions

1. March 23, 2026: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
2. March 23, 2026: New draft of H632
3. March 23, 2026: Reported from the committee on Education

Votes

• Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Education (March 18, 2026): 11 yea, 0 nay, passed

Common questions

What is H5284?

H5284 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act furthering enrollment preferences for high need students.

What is the status of H5284?

In committee as of March 23, 2026. Latest action: Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (March 23, 2026).

Who sponsored H5284?

Education, Joint Committee on (I), with 3 co-sponsors.

Where is the official record for H5284?

On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5284