On May 3, 2010, Massachusetts enacted An Act Relative to Bullying in Schools, which required the department of elementary and secondary education to publish and biennially update guidelines for the implementation of social and emotional learning curricula in kindergarten to
grade 12 (see Section 16) and defined social and emotional learning as «the processes by which children acquire the
knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to recognize and manage their
emotions, demonstrate caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and constructively handle challenging social situations.».