State Sen. John C. Velis, pictured in 2019 with Paper Mill Elementary School students Emilee Buoniconti and Eric Dean. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
BOSTON – On Monday, State Sen. John C. Velis announced a series of education-related bills that he filed in the Massachusetts State Senate. The three bills deal with cardiac arrest in student athletes, excused school absences for mental health, and reimbursement for school building projects from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
SD1233, an act relative to sudden cardiac arrest awareness in student athletes, directs the Department of Public Health to develop an interscholastic athletic sudden cardiac distress and death prevention program for schools. Velis stated that the idea for this legislation came from conversations with Westfield resident Susan Canning, whose son Kevin Major died from an abnormally enlarged heart muscle known as Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in July of 2011.
“Kevin’s story is truly heartbreaking, and Mrs. Canning has been tireless in her work to raise awareness about issues of cardiac arrest in our youth,” said Velis. “Two-thousand people under the age of 25 die each year of sudden cardiac arrest, with many of these tragedies occurring during athletic or physical activities. Often, these young, seemingly healthy, individuals don’t even know they are at risk, and this bill would ensure that our school systems are trained to spot the warning signs before it’s too late.”
The bill, which is supported by the American Heart Association, requires certain school personnel to participate in the program, where they would be trained in recognizing the symptoms and warning signs of cardiac distress and sudden cardiac arrest. Additionally, student athletes would be required to provide information relative to any cardiac medical history at the start of each sports season.
SD2388, An Act relative to the mental health of children in schools, would allow for school absences to be permitted for behavioral health concerns. There is currently no state law in Massachusetts mandating that schools allow such absences, but many already do.
“Mental health is an issue that is simply not talked about enough, especially when it comes to youth in our communities,” said Velis, who is vice chair of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery. “School can be an incredibly stressful time for many students. It is so important that students are taking care of their mental health, and they should be able to take the time to do that without any consequences.”
SD1743, an act relative to school districts in receivership and the Massachusetts School Building Authority, would make school districts in receivership eligible for higher reimbursement rates from the state for school building projects. Currently, school districts cannot receive more than 80% reimbursement of eligible costs from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Velis stated after working with Holyoke Public Schools and city officials on their current middle school project, it became clear that school districts in receivership face unique challenges in completing new building projects.
“There are currently only three school districts in the state that are in receivership, Holyoke, Lawrence and Southbridge,” said Velis. “These school districts have already been determined to need more support from the state and I think that should apply to any new school construction projects as well.”
State Rep. Patricia Duffy, who represents Holyoke in the House of Representatives, is a cosponsor of SD1743 as well.
