Massachusetts Appleseed Center For Law And Justice

TO PROMOTE EQUAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS BY DEVELOPING AND ADVOCATING FOR SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE (LANGUAGE ACCESS): IN 2018 MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE THE POLICIES AND PRACTICES OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (DCF) TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE DEPARTMENT IS FULFILLING ITS LEGAL OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL LANGUAGE ACCESS TO FAMILIES WHO ARE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP). THE MAJORITY OF OUR BACKGROUND RESEARCH, IN ADDITION TO A LARGE NUMBER OF QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS FOR THIS PROJECT, OCCURRED IN 2019. MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF THEN CONDUCTED THE FINAL RESEARCH INTERVIEWS AND PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS FOR THIS PROJECT DURING 2020, AND SUBSEQUENTLY SPENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME DRAFTING AND EDITING THE FINAL REPORT. THE REPORT WAS EVENTUALLY RELEASED IN JANUARY OF 2021. FOLLOWING PUBLICATION OF THIS REPORT, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF ENGAGED IN LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY BASED UPON THE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE REPORT AND FILED AN ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT WITH HHS' OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AGAINST DCF FOR THEIR LANGUAGE ACCESS FAILURES.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE (COURT REFORM): AS MASSACHUSETTS COURTS WENT VIRTUAL DURING THE COVID-19 THE PANDEMIC, A NUMBER OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONCERNS WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM BECAME APPARENT TO ATTORNEYS AND ADVOCATES. IN PARTICULAR, MANY SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS LACK THE TECHNOLOGY, OR TECHNOLOGICAL ABILITIES, TO FULLY PARTICIPATE IN REMOTE HEARINGS. TO STUDY THESE CONCERNS IN MORE DETAIL, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED PARTNERED WITH BEN GOLDEN (NEW ENGLAND LAW SCHOOL) AND ARIEL CLEMMER (WESTERN NEW ENGLAND LAW SCHOOL) TO CONDUCT A VIRTUAL COURT OBSERVATION. DURING DECEMBER OF 2020 AND JANUARY OF 2021, LAW STUDENTS RECORDED THEIR OBSERVATIONS OF VIRTUAL SMALL CLAIMS HEARINGS IN A NUMBER OF COURTS ACROSS THE STATE, AND CONDUCTED PHONE INTERVIEWS WITH SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS WITH SMALL CLAIMS CASES DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. SMALL CLAIMS COURT WAS CHOSEN DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS WITHIN THIS TYPE OF COURT PROCEEDING. FOLLOWING THE END OF THE OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEW PERIOD, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF, IN COLLABORATION WITH MR. GOLDEN AND MRS. CLEMMER, ANALYZED THE DATA GATHERED AND DRAFTED A REPORT DETAILING KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. THE REPORT IS SCHEDULED TO BE PUBLISHED IN EARLY 2022.

THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE: IN 2020 MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED COLLABORATED WITH TWO OTHER APPLESEED CENTERS IN GEORGIA AND ALABAMA TO RELEASE A SHORT, DATA-DRIVEN REPORT THAT EXAMINED THE DISPROPORTIONATE RATE THAT BLACK GIRLS IN ALL THREE STATES WERE SUBJECT TO EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS, WHEN COMPARED TO THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS. FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THIS REPORT, IN 2021 MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF BROUGHT TOGETHER A 12-MEMBER COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD TO DESIGN A FOLLOW-UP STUDY THAT WILL UTILIZE QUALITATIVE DATA TO FURTHER HIGHLIGHT THE EXPERIENCES OF GIRLS OF COLOR IN MASSACHUSETTS IN RELATION TO SCHOOL DISCIPLINE DISPARITIES. ALONGSIDE THIS ONGOING RESEARCH, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF HAVE ENGAGED IN LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY TO IMPLEMENT SCHOOL-DISCIPLINE REFORM AND LIMIT THE USE OF EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE FOR ALL STUDENTS, AND IN PARTICULAR YOUNG STUDENTS.

HOMELESS YOUTH HANDBOOK: IN 2018, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED BEGAN WORKING ON A HOMELESS YOUTH HANDBOOK FOR MASSACHUSETTS WITH THE LAW FIRM BAKER MCKENZIE IN ADDITION TO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE HANDBOOK IS AN ONLINE KNOW-YOUR-RIGHTS GUIDE FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND WAS LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY OF 2021. FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THIS HANDBOOK, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF CONDUCTED TRAININGS AND PRESENTATIONS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS AND YOUNG PEOPLE DIRECTLY ON HOW TO BEST MAKE USE OF THE HANDBOOK. MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF ALSO CONDUCTED AN INITIAL AUDIT OF THE 20 CHAPTERS WITHIN THE HANDBOOK AND PROVIDED EDITS AND ADDITIONS TO ONE-FOURTH OF THOSE CHAPTERS IN NOVEMBER OF 2021.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE (LANGUAGE ACCESS): IN 2018 MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE THE POLICIES AND PRACTICES OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (DCF) TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE DEPARTMENT IS FULFILLING ITS LEGAL OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL LANGUAGE ACCESS TO FAMILIES WHO ARE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT (LEP). THE MAJORITY OF OUR BACKGROUND RESEARCH, IN ADDITION TO A LARGE NUMBER OF QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS FOR THIS PROJECT, OCCURRED IN 2019. MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF THEN CONDUCTED THE FINAL RESEARCH INTERVIEWS AND PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS FOR THIS PROJECT DURING 2020, AND SUBSEQUENTLY SPENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME DRAFTING AND EDITING THE FINAL REPORT. THE REPORT WAS EVENTUALLY RELEASED IN JANUARY OF 2021. FOLLOWING PUBLICATION OF THIS REPORT, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF ENGAGED IN LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY BASED UPON THE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN THE REPORT AND FILED AN ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT WITH HHS' OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AGAINST DCF FOR THEIR LANGUAGE ACCESS FAILURES.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE (COURT REFORM): AS MASSACHUSETTS COURTS WENT VIRTUAL DURING THE COVID-19 THE PANDEMIC, A NUMBER OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE CONCERNS WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM BECAME APPARENT TO ATTORNEYS AND ADVOCATES. IN PARTICULAR, MANY SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS LACK THE TECHNOLOGY, OR TECHNOLOGICAL ABILITIES, TO FULLY PARTICIPATE IN REMOTE HEARINGS. TO STUDY THESE CONCERNS IN MORE DETAIL, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED PARTNERED WITH BEN GOLDEN (NEW ENGLAND LAW SCHOOL) AND ARIEL CLEMMER (WESTERN NEW ENGLAND LAW SCHOOL) TO CONDUCT A VIRTUAL COURT OBSERVATION. DURING DECEMBER OF 2020 AND JANUARY OF 2021, LAW STUDENTS RECORDED THEIR OBSERVATIONS OF VIRTUAL SMALL CLAIMS HEARINGS IN A NUMBER OF COURTS ACROSS THE STATE, AND CONDUCTED PHONE INTERVIEWS WITH SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS WITH SMALL CLAIMS CASES DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. SMALL CLAIMS COURT WAS CHOSEN DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS WITHIN THIS TYPE OF COURT PROCEEDING. FOLLOWING THE END OF THE OBSERVATION AND INTERVIEW PERIOD, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF, IN COLLABORATION WITH MR. GOLDEN AND MRS. CLEMMER, ANALYZED THE DATA GATHERED AND DRAFTED A REPORT DETAILING KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. THE REPORT IS SCHEDULED TO BE PUBLISHED IN EARLY 2022.

THE SCHOOL-TO-PRISON PIPELINE: IN 2020 MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED COLLABORATED WITH TWO OTHER APPLESEED CENTERS IN GEORGIA AND ALABAMA TO RELEASE A SHORT, DATA-DRIVEN REPORT THAT EXAMINED THE DISPROPORTIONATE RATE THAT BLACK GIRLS IN ALL THREE STATES WERE SUBJECT TO EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS, WHEN COMPARED TO THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS. FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THIS REPORT, IN 2021 MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF BROUGHT TOGETHER A 12-MEMBER COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD TO DESIGN A FOLLOW-UP STUDY THAT WILL UTILIZE QUALITATIVE DATA TO FURTHER HIGHLIGHT THE EXPERIENCES OF GIRLS OF COLOR IN MASSACHUSETTS IN RELATION TO SCHOOL DISCIPLINE DISPARITIES. ALONGSIDE THIS ONGOING RESEARCH, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF HAVE ENGAGED IN LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY TO IMPLEMENT SCHOOL-DISCIPLINE REFORM AND LIMIT THE USE OF EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE FOR ALL STUDENTS, AND IN PARTICULAR YOUNG STUDENTS.

HOMELESS YOUTH HANDBOOK: IN 2018, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED BEGAN WORKING ON A HOMELESS YOUTH HANDBOOK FOR MASSACHUSETTS WITH THE LAW FIRM BAKER MCKENZIE IN ADDITION TO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE HANDBOOK IS AN ONLINE KNOW-YOUR-RIGHTS GUIDE FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND WAS LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY OF 2021. FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THIS HANDBOOK, MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF CONDUCTED TRAININGS AND PRESENTATIONS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS AND YOUNG PEOPLE DIRECTLY ON HOW TO BEST MAKE USE OF THE HANDBOOK. MASSACHUSETTS APPLESEED STAFF ALSO CONDUCTED AN INITIAL AUDIT OF THE 20 CHAPTERS WITHIN THE HANDBOOK AND PROVIDED EDITS AND ADDITIONS TO ONE-FOURTH OF THOSE CHAPTERS IN NOVEMBER OF 2021.