CHAPTER 269. AN ACT PROHIBITING THE ACT OF HAZING

Sections 17-19 Every year, secondary school principals or headmasters must:

• Certify that he or she has read and understands the Anti-Hazing policy and that the school complies with the law by logging into the Anti-Hazing application accessible via MassEdu Gateway at https://gateway.edu.state.ma.us/.    

• High school principals/headmasters (or a designee) who need access should be assigned their school's Anti-Hazing User role by their district's Directory Administrator.  If you have questions about this, contact your Directory Administrator.

• If your school does not have a Directory Administrator or if you need help with your user ID and password, please contact Nermina Peric atnperic@doe.mass.edu.

Section 17 Whoever is a principal organizer or participant in the crime of hazing as defined herein shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in a house of correction for not more than one hundred days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

The term “hazing” as used in this section and in sections eighteen and nineteen, shall mean any conduct or method of initiation into any student organization, whether on public or private property, which willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person.  Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of food, liquor, beverage, drug, or other substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety of any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation.

Section 18 Whoever knows that another person is the victim of hazing as defined in section seventeen and is at the scene of such a crime shall, to the extent that such person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report such crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable.  Whoever fails to report such crime shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.