A N A C T
RELATING TO TEXTBOOKS
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Sections 16-23-2 and 16-23-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-23 entitled "Textbooks" are hereby amended to read as follows:
16-23-2. Loan of textbooks. -- (a) The school committee of every community as it is defined in section 16-7-16 shall furnish upon request, at the expense of the community, textbooks to all students in grades K-12 in the field fields of mathematics, science, and modern foreign languages and in the fields of English/language arts and history/social studies in grades K-8 only, appearing on the list of textbooks published by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education as provided in section 16-23-3, to all pupils of elementary and secondary school grades resident in the community, the textbooks to be loaned to the pupils free of charge, subject to such rules and regulations as to care and custody as the school committee may prescribe.
(b) Every school committee shall also furnish at the expense of the community all other textbooks and school supplies used in the public schools of the community, the other textbooks and supplies to be loaned to the pupils of the public schools free of charge, subject to such rules and regulations as to care and custody as the school committee may prescribe. School books removed from school use may be distributed to pupils, and any textbook may become the property of a pupil who has completed the use of it in school, subject to rules and regulations prescribed by the school committee.
16-23-3. Published textbook list. -- The commissioner shall publish annually a list of textbooks in use in the public schools in the field of mathematics, science, and modern foreign languages to all students in grades K-12 and in the fields of English/language arts and history/social studies in grades K-8 only. The list shall be published for the purpose of the loan of the textbooks to all resident pupils as provided for in section 16-23-2 and shall not include any textbooks of a sectarian nature or containing sectarian material.
SECTION 2. Chapter 16-23 of the General Laws entitled "Textbooks" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
16-23-3.1. Reimbursements to municipalities for costs of English/language arts and history/social studies textbooks for students in grades K-8 only. -- There is hereby established a textbook reimbursement fund for which the general assembly shall make a specific appropriation. The department of elementary and secondary education shall administer the appropriation. School districts shall submit to the department of elementary and secondary education evidence of the cost of English/language arts and/or history/social studies textbooks that the district has provided to students in grades K-8 only pursuant to section 16-23-2. Such costs shall be reimbursed from the textbook reimbursement fund by the department of elementary and secondary education upon presentation by a school district of such evidence of cost.
SECTION 3. Joint commission created - Duties and Composition. -- (a) There is created the Rhode Island joint commission to study the state textbook loan program.
(b) The joint commission to study the state textbook loan program shall consist of thirteen (13) members. The membership of the commission shall consist of three (3) members of the house of representatives not more than two (2) from the same political party to be appointed by the speaker of the house; three (3) members of the senate not more than two (2) from the same political party to be appointed by the senate majority leader; the commissioner of elementary and secondary education or his or her designee; the president of the Rhode Island Association of School Administrators or his or her designee; the executive director of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees or his or her designee; the president of the Rhode Island Association of School Business Officials or his or her designee; the president of the Rhode Island Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development or his or her designee; the president of the Independent Schools Association of Rhode Island or his or her designee; and the Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Providence or his or her designee. The commission shall elect one of its members as chairperson. The duties of the joint commission shall be to study the state textbook loan program and to prepare and submit a report of its activities to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the majority leader of the senate on or before January 15, 2001 and said commission shall terminate on February 15, 2001.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.