Rhode Island 2023 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5341 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2023 -- H 5341
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9	9	S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives Place, Rea, Nardone, and Roberts
17	17	Date Introduced: February 03, 2023
18	18	Referred To: House Education
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21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Chapter 16-3.1 of the General Laws entitled "Cooperative Service Among 1
23	23	School Districts [See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby 2
24	24	amended by adding thereto the following section: 3
25	25	16-3.1-22. Nontraditional approaches to learning. 4
26	26	(a) Any charter school may offer nontraditional approaches to learning or methods 5
27	27	differing from traditional education approaches from mainstream education. Each charter school 6
28	28	shall offer progressive, student-centric and task-based approaches to learning, and shall not focus 7
29	29	on learning by memorization or a reading approach to learning. 8
30	30	(b) The Rhode Island department of education shall review all applications for charter 9
31	31	schools providing nontraditional approaches to learning to ensure the nontraditional criteria is a 10
32	32	sufficient substitute for a traditional education. 11
33	33	SECTION 2. Section 16-77-3.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-77 entitled 12
34	34	"Establishment of Charter Public Schools [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of 13
35	35	Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: 14
36	36	16-77-3.1. Legislative purpose. 15
37	37	(a) The purpose of this chapter is to provide an alternative within the public education 16
38	38	system by offering opportunities for entities identified in § 16-77-2.1 to establish and maintain a 17
39	39	high performing public school program according to the terms of a charter. The key appeal of the 18
40	40	charter school concept is its promise of increased accountability for student achievement in 19
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44	44	exchange for increased school autonomy. 1
45	45	(b) Charter public schools are intended to be vanguards, laboratories, and an expression of 2
46	46	the on-going and vital state interest in the improvement of education. Notwithstanding the 3
47	47	provisions of this section or any law to the contrary, a charter school shall be deemed to be a public 4
48	48	school acting under state law and subject to the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 42 U.S.C. § 6101, 5
49	49	et seq., title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, et seq., title IX of the educational 6
50	50	amendments of 1972, 20 U.S.C. § 1681, et seq., § 794 of title 29, and part B of the Individuals With 7
51	51	Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1411, et seq. All students and prospective students of a 8
52	52	charter school shall be deemed to be public school students, having all the same rights under federal 9
53	53	and Rhode Island law as students and prospective students at a non-chartered public school. These 10
54	54	charter public schools shall be vehicles for research and development in areas such as curriculum, 11
55	55	pedagogy, administration, materials, facilities, governance, parent relations and involvement, 12
56	56	social development, instructor’s and administrator’s responsibilities, working conditions, student 13
57	57	performance and fiscal accountability. It is the intent of the general assembly to create within the 14
58	58	public school system vehicles for innovative learning opportunities to be utilized and evaluated in 15
59	59	pilot projects. The provisions of this chapter are to be interpreted liberally to support the purposes 16
60	60	set forth in this chapter and to advance a renewed commitment by the state to the mission, goals, 17
61	61	and diversity of public education. 18
62	62	(c) It is the intent of the general assembly to provide opportunities for teachers, parents, 19
63	63	pupils, and community members to establish and maintain public schools that operate 20
64	64	independently as a method to accomplish all of the following: 21
65	65	(1) Improve pupil learning by creating schools with rigorous academic standards in all 22
66	66	basic areas of instruction for high pupil performance; 23
67	67	(2) Increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded 24
68	68	learning experiences for pupils who are identified as educationally disadvantaged and at-risk; 25
69	69	(3) Encourage the use of innovative teaching methods; 26
70	70	(4) Create opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the 27
71	71	learning program at the school site; 28
72	72	(5) Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational 29
73	73	opportunities that are available within the public school system; 30
74	74	(6) Hold the schools established under this chapter accountable for meeting publicly 31
75	75	promulgated, measurable, state and charter-based pupil academic results, and provide the schools 32
76	76	with a method to implement performance-based and/or other student-based accountability systems, 33
77	77	while providing a means to restrict the expansion of ineffective charter public schools; and 34
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81	81	(7) Encourage parental and community involvement with public schools. 1
82	82	(d) No private or parochial schools shall be eligible for charter public school status, nor 2
83	83	shall a charter public school be affiliated in any way with a sectarian school or religious institution. 3
84	84	Any charter public school authorized by this chapter shall be nonsectarian and nonreligious in its 4
85	85	programs, admissions policies, employment practices, and all other operations. The board of 5
86	86	regents shall not approve a charter to a school whose overall operation or education program is 6
87	87	managed by a for profit entity. 7
88	88	(e) The commissioner is empowered to promulgate rules and regulations consistent with 8
89	89	this chapter, in conformance with chapter 35 of title 42, for the creation and operation of charter 9
90	90	public schools. These rules and regulations shall set forth the process for rescission of state approval 10
91	91	of a charter public school, including appropriate protections to ensure the continued provision of 11
92	92	education services to the students of the charter public school whose charter is rescinded. 12
93	93	(f) All charter public schools shall adhere to financial record keeping, reporting, auditing 13
94	94	requirements, and procedures as required by the Rhode Island department of education and in 14
95	95	accordance with federal and state laws and regulations. 15
96	96	(g) No more than thirty-five (35) charters shall be granted. At least one-half (½) of the total 16
97	97	number of charter public schools in the state shall be reserved for charter school applications which 17
98	98	are designed to increase the educational opportunities for at-risk pupils. 18
99	99	(h) Any charter school, whose charter has not been renewed, shall have their formerly 19
100	100	allotted seats, reallocated to a school that is authorized to offer nontraditional approaches to 20
101	101	learning or methods, pursuant to §16-3.1-22. 21
102	102	SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 22
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109	109	EXPLANATION
110	110	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
111	111	OF
112	112	A N A C T
113	113	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRIC TS
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115	115	This act would allow charter schools to engage in nontraditional approaches to learning, 1
116	116	which must be approved by the department of education, and would also require that seats allocated 2
117	117	to a charter school, whose charter has not been renewed, be reallocated to a school which offers 3
118	118	nontraditional approaches and methods to learning. 4
119	119	This act would take effect upon passage. 5
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