The Children’s Justice Unit

Learn more about the Children's Justice Unit at the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General.

The Attorney General’s Office, through its Children’s Justice Unit (CJU), works to advance justice and equity and promote positive outcomes for Massachusetts children and youth through legal and policy advocacy and programming, including in education, healthcare, juvenile justice, child welfare, and other systems that impact children.

Protecting Youth Mental Health

The mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people is essential to their learning and success, and paramount to a healthy and productive Commonwealth. The Children’s Justice Unit leads a statewide initiative on combatting hate and bullying in schools, advances policy to address the negative impacts of social media on youth mental health, and works with schools to address discriminatory disciplinary practices and promote school environments that are supportive and inclusive of all students.

CJU works to ensure that all school officials have the information they need to effectively address hate, bullying and harassment incidents when they occur, and proactively create positive and inclusive school environments. The following guidance highlights school districts’ obligations to address hate and bias incidents. Also included below are separate flyers and resources on addressing hate, tailored for school communities, families and students, and school athletic staff: 

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Massachusetts school leaders, educators, parents, and students report that cell phones and social media significantly disrupt the school environment, amplify tensions in peer relationships, and exacerbate bullying, hate, and violence between students. The Toolkit linked below provides resources to support school communities in developing and implementing cell phone policies and fostering communities that promote learning, safety, and well-being of children and youth.

Ensuring Equal Access to Education

All children have the right to a free public education regardless of immigration or citizenship status. This means that students have the right to enroll in the public school district where they live. Schools must avoid enrollment requirements that explicitly bar the enrollment of immigrant children or have the effect of discouraging immigrant children from enrolling. 

Schools are also legally prohibited from releasing personally identifiable information about students to third parties without the informed written consent of the parent/guardian, unless there is a court order or other specific exception that applies. See below guidance documents and resources for more information.

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Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: Protecting and Promoting Justice for Our Youngest Residents

The AGO Youth Diversion Program was created in response to the 2024 Act to Prevent Abuse and Exploitation, which requires mandatory diversion for youth under age 18 charged with possessing, receiving, or sending sexually explicit images of another minor via cell phone or other technology. The diversion program is a partnership with the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) and Department of Youth Services (DYS) that supports Massachusetts youth to learn responsible and safe technology use within the context of healthy relationships and sexuality. The program aims to increase positive outcomes while reducing youth involvement in the criminal justice system. For more information: 

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Offices partnered in developing an updated online training for mandated reporters with expanded content, new features, and improved user engagement. Recognizing the complexity involved in identifying when to file a 51A Report, the expanded content provides users with guidance on how to evaluate whether a child is being maltreated and make responsible decisions about when to file a report. Users will learn what are and are not considered indicators of child maltreatment. The online training also contains important information and case studies that address the influence of implicit racial bias and other forms of bias. The expanded content underscores the importance of mandated reporters being aware of and working to address their own biases when evaluating whether a report should be filed.

The Massachusetts legislature established a Review Commission in 2021 to develop a Model SRO MOU clearly defining the role of SROs in schools and outlining other minimum requirements as required by Section 79 of Chapter 253 of the Acts of 2020. The Model SRO MOU provides a framework for the SRO Program within schools that promotes positive interactions with youth and a safe school environment. For more information: 

Date published:	April 2, 2025