2024 -- S 2040 | |
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LC004180 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TRANSPORTATION OF SCHOOL PUPILS BEYOND CITY | |
AND TOWN LIMITS | |
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Introduced By: Senators Ujifusa, Lauria, and Felag | |
Date Introduced: January 12, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Education | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 16-21.1-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-21.1 entitled |
2 | "Transportation of School Pupils Beyond City and Town Limits [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The |
3 | Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
4 | 16-21.1-2. School bus districts established. |
5 | (a) There are hereby established school bus districts within the state to provide bus |
6 | transportation in the interest of public safety, health, and welfare for pupils in grades kindergarten |
7 | through twelve (12), or in special education programs, who attend public schools, including |
8 | vocational schools and special education programs provided in accord with regulations of the board |
9 | of regents for elementary and secondary education, consolidated schools, regional schools |
10 | established under the provisions of § 16-3-1 et seq., or who participate in cooperative programs as |
11 | provided by § 16-3.1-1 et seq., and nonpublic nonprofit schools which are consolidated, |
12 | regionalized, or otherwise established to serve residents of a specific area within the state which |
13 | schools satisfy the requirements of law for any of the grades of school, kindergarten through twelve |
14 | (12), as follows: |
15 | (1) Region I: The towns of Burrillville, North Smithfield, and Cumberland, and the city of |
16 | Woonsocket; |
17 | (2) Region II: The county of Kent, except the town of West Greenwich and the towns of |
18 | Foster, Glocester, and Scituate; |
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1 | (3) Region III: The towns of Lincoln, Smithfield, Johnston, North Providence, Barrington, |
2 | Warren, and Bristol, and the cities of Cranston, Central Falls, East Providence, Pawtucket, and |
3 | Providence; |
4 | (4) Region IV: The county of Washington and the towns of Jamestown and West |
5 | Greenwich; |
6 | (5) Region V: The towns of Little Compton, Middletown, Portsmouth, Warren, and Bristol, |
7 | and Tiverton, and the city of Newport. |
8 | (b) A pupil attending a school, including a public school, vocational school, special |
9 | education program provided in accord with regulations of the board of regents for elementary and |
10 | secondary education, a regional school established under the provisions of § 16-3-1 et seq., as |
11 | authorized by § 16-3.1-1 et seq., or a nonpublic nonprofit school for grades kindergarten through |
12 | twelve (12), consolidated, regionalized, or otherwise established to serve residents of a specific |
13 | area within the state for any of the grades of schools, kindergarten through twelve (12), in the |
14 | interest of public safety, health, and welfare, shall be provided with bus transportation to the school |
15 | or facility which the pupil attends, within the region in which the pupil resides, by the school |
16 | committee of the city or town within which the pupil resides. The cost of transporting a pupil |
17 | attending a charter school, the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School |
18 | (“Davies”), or the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (“the Met Center”) within |
19 | the established region shall be charged to the receiving school at the same grade level transportation |
20 | per pupil cost of the resident district. Districts may offer transportation to charter schools, Davies, |
21 | or the Met Center outside the established region in order to facilitate efficiency provided there is |
22 | not additional cost to the resident district. |
23 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024. |
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LC004180 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TRANSPORTATION OF SCHOOL PUPILS BEYOND CITY | |
AND TOWN LIMITS | |
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1 | This act would remove the towns of Warren and Bristol from school bus district Region III |
2 | and place Warren and Bristol in school bus district Region V. |
3 | This act would take effect on July 1, 2024. |
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