April is fair housing month, and if the recent behavior of some local landlords and real estate companies is any indication, 30 days of continuous reminders of the right to fair and unbiased housing is exactly what the Bay State real estate community needs.

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office recently prosecuted two separate incidents of housing discrimination indicative of the ignorance of, or outright disregard for, the fundamental decency of offering housing free of abuse and judgment.

Alexander Cohen, a Revere landlord, was one of about two dozen landlords statewide investigated for violating fair housing laws in apartment advertisements placed on online bulletin board Craigslist. A consent judgment reached against Cohen found him responsible for listing an apartment for rent, but stipulating “no Section 8.”

The Massachusetts Anti-Discrimination Act prohibits real estate companies, agents, landlords and others involved in property rentals from discriminating against tenants who use state or federal housing subsidies to pay for all or a portion of their rent.

Separately, Coakley’s office recently ordered RE/MAX Landmark, a real estate company with 13 offices in Massachusetts, to pay $10,000 to the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston after one of its agents allegedly refused to rent to families with young children.

It might be easy to dismiss the complaint against Cohen with a simple “he probably didn’t know any better.” But ignorance of the law, and outright lack of decency, is no excuse.

The RE/MAX case is altogether different – a large firm like that certainly knows better, and certainly ought to take pains to make sure its employees do, too.

Both cases illustrate a surprising need for what we considered rudimentary fair housing education. Agents used to be required to take fair housing classes as part of their continuing education requirement. It became optional not long ago. It seems some should have never been given the choice.