By Mr. Casey of Winchester, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3699) of Paul C. Casey and Stephen Stat Smith relative to the awarding of high school diplomas for certain veterans of World War II and the Korean War.  Veterans and Federal Affairs

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Paul C. Casey

Stephen Stat Smith

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act relative to the awarding of high school diplomas for certain veterans.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1.  Section 4 of chapter 71 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph:—
Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, school committees may award diplomas to any World War II veteran or Korean War veteran, as defined in clause 43 of section 7 of chapter 4, who resides in a municipality whose residents currently attend the high school maintained by said school committee, who withdrew from the public school system prior to graduation from high school in order to serve in the armed forces of the United States or the National Civilian Conservation Corps or who entered active wartime service within four years immediately following the date of withdrawal from the public school system, who did not receive a high school diploma as a consequence of such service, and who was honorably discharged from the armed services. The department of education and the department of veterans’ services shall jointly promulgate guidelines for the identification of eligible veterans by school districts and for the awarding of such diplomas by school committees.