Entries by Admin

Act Today to Support MA Appleseed’s Budget Priorities

Action Alert The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate have both finalized their initial FY18 budget proposals. Now the fight moves to the Budget Conference Committee, in which six members are tasked with working through the differences between the House and Senate budget recommendations on a variety of issues. Here’s a quick reminder about where things […]

Good News and Bad News in the FY18 Budget

Action Alert We’re Almost There! The results are in! After the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate finalized their initial FY18 budget proposals and the Conference Committee compromised, the budget was sent to Governor Baker’s desk. He had 10 days to approve, reduce, or veto any line items he chose; here’s what he did: Statewide […]

Toward Racial Equity: Increasing Access to Boston’s Exam Schools

Action Alert   Boston’s exam schools, the top schools in our city, have long been held out as the merit-based means of upward mobility for the children of Boston’s working class families. But admissions data show a troubling trend of discrimination. The data show under-enrollment of African American and Latino students persisting across Boston’s exam schools, […]

MA Senate Criminal Justice Reform Bill Includes School Arrest Reforms!

Action Alert Great news! The Senate criminal justice reform bill that will be voted on within the next week includes key provisions we support from H.328/S.876, An Act decriminalizing non-violent and verbal student misconduct. These important provisions eliminate the practice of arresting students for minor behavioral infractions and establish standards and accountability for police in schools. […]

Take action today to ensure adequate funding for homeless youth, civil legal aid, and statewide housing court!

Action Alert The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate have both finalized their initial FY18 budget proposals. Thank you for your hard work over the past few months. Your advocacy for funding to support access to justice for all and resources for homeless youth makes a difference! But it’s not over yet.  Now the fight […]

2018 Senate Budget Debate

Action Alert Dear MA Appleseed supporter, The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) is the state’s leading provider of funds for civil legal aid – yet nearly two-thirds of qualified applicants are turned away every day due to a lack of resources.  Without legal help, these individuals are forced to navigate the complex civil justice system on their […]

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Massachusetts Appleseed Joins Letter Against Charter School Dress Code

Massachusetts Appleseed joins over three dozen civil rights and education groups on letter condemning Mystic Valley Regional Charter School dress code policy Massachusetts Appleseed joined the American Civil Liberties Union, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and other civil rights and education groups on a letter to the Mystic Valley Regional Charter […]

2018 HWM Means budget

Action Alert Earlier this week, the House Ways & Means Committee released its 2018 state budget proposal for the fiscal year that will begin on July 1st. The House Ways & Means (HWM) budget includes recommendations for funding for programs and services provided by the state, including many that affect youth, our schools, and the courts. Unfortunately, some […]

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School Discipline Know Your Rights Fact Sheets

Our friends at the Greater Boston Legal Services School to Prison Pipeline Intervention Project have created these helpful fact sheets to guide students and parents of students who have been subjected to school discipline. Please note that these are for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney client relationship between Massachusetts […]