John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

To:Superintendents and Charter School Directors
Copy:High School Principals
From:Jeffrey Nellhaus, Acting Commissioner of Education
Date:November 29, 2007
I am writing to correct an error in a memorandum that the Department sent to you in early November with the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship letters and accompanying materials. In that memorandum we asked that you distribute Adams Scholarship letters only to students who are U.S. citizens. This request should not have been included. In a 1982 decision, Plyler v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits public schools from denying admission to students based solely on their immigration status or that of their parents. Consequently, K-12 public school staff may not inquire about a student's citizenship status or require documentation of a parent's or student's legal immigration status as a condition of school enrollment. School officials should distribute the Adams Scholarship letters to all students who have qualified through high performance on the grade 10 MCAS tests. The guidelines that accompany the scholarship letter explain that each student who qualifies must still meet the eligibility criteria set by state law and the Board of Higher Education in order to be awarded the Adams Scholarship tuition waiver. Those criteria include that the student must be a permanent Massachusetts resident and a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. The Plyler decision, mentioned above, applies only to K-12 education, not higher education. To avoid misunderstandings, we encourage principals and guidance counselors to advise all students who receive the letters to read the Adams Scholarship Guidelines carefully. Students with questions about their eligibility should contact the Board of Higher Education's Office of Student Financial Assistance at 617-727-9420 or via e-mail at osfa@osfa.mass.edu.



Last Updated: December 4, 2007



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