Rhode Island 2023 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5637 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2023 -- H 5637
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7	7	LC001911
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9	9	S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE BRIGHT TODAY SCHOLARSHIP AND OPEN
16	16	ENROLLMENT EDUCATION ACT
17	17	Introduced By: Representatives Chippendale, Rea, J. Brien, and Place
18	18	Date Introduced: February 15, 2023
19	19	Referred To: House Finance
20	20
21	21
22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by 1
24	24	adding thereto the following chapter: 2
25	25	CHAPTER 112 3
26	26	THE BRIGHT TODAY SCHOLARSHIP AND OPEN ENROLLMENT EDUCATION ACT 4
27	27	16-112-1. Short title. 5
28	28	This act shall be known and may be cited as "The Bright Today Scholarship and Open 6
29	29	Enrollment Education Act." 7
30	30	16-112-2. Purpose. 8
31	31	(a) The purpose of this chapter is to provide parents of kindergarten through grade twelve 9
32	32	(K-12) students in Rhode Island with an opportunity to enroll their child in an educational program 10
33	33	of their choosing, either via open enrollment in a traditional public school in their own district or 11
34	34	in any other public school district, or by receiving a scholarship, with designated public monies to 12
35	35	follow the student to the private school or private curriculum program selected by the parent. 13
36	36	(b) National research demonstrates that with scholarships, similar to those provided for in 14
37	37	this chapter, public school districts can actually save money and in most instances also see 15
38	38	improved academic outcomes because of the new "parental" accountability standards they will be 16
39	39	held to. 17
40	40	(c) Further, this chapter has been crafted to ensure that more money per pupil remains in 18
41	41
42	42
43	43	LC001911 - Page 2 of 12
44	44	public school districts, even after scholarships have been awarded from the state portion of 1
45	45	educational funding to districts. 2
46	46	16-112-3. Definition of terms. 3
47	47	As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings unless the 4
48	48	context clearly indicates otherwise: 5
49	49	(1) "Base funding" means and refers to a resident district's funding from state and local 6
50	50	sources to serve and educate students on a per pupil basis. Federal funds are not included. 7
51	51	(2) "Bright today scholarships" ("scholarships"), sometimes referred to in this chapter as 8
52	52	"educations savings accounts (ESAs)" means and will be offered to all students that are, or will 9
53	53	become, enrolled in any public, private, or home school system in the State of Rhode Island. The 10
54	54	scholarships allow parents to utilize certain funds that would normally be allocated to their child at 11
55	55	their resident school district for an educational program as determined by the parents or guardian 12
56	56	of the child. 13
57	57	(3) "Curriculum" means a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade 14
58	58	level, including any supplemental materials required by the curriculum. 15
59	59	(4) "Department" means the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary 16
60	60	education (RIDE) or any other organization designated by RIDE to administer the bright today 17
61	61	scholarship program. 18
62	62	(5) "Eligible student" means any kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) student who 19
63	63	meets any of the following requirements: 20
64	64	(i) Attended a public school as a full-time student in Rhode Island in the preceding 21
65	65	semester; 22
66	66	(ii) Is beginning school in Rhode Island for the first time; or 23
67	67	(iii) Attended a private school or received at-home instruction in conformance with § 16-24
68	68	19-1 in the preceding semester. 25
69	69	(6) "Open enrollment" means a policy adopted and implemented by a school district 26
70	70	governing board to allow resident transfer pupils to enroll in any school within the school district. 27
71	71	to allow resident pupils to enroll in any school located within other school districts in this state, or 28
72	72	to allow nonresident pupils to enroll in any school within the district. 29
73	73	(7) "Parent" means a resident of Rhode Island who is the parent or legal guardian of an 30
74	74	eligible student. 31
75	75	(8) "Participating school" means any private school that provides education to students in 32
76	76	fulfillment of any grades, kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12), and has notified the 33
77	77	department of its intention to participate in the bright today scholarship program and to comply 34
78	78
79	79
80	80	LC001911 - Page 3 of 12
81	81	with the requirements of the program as defined by this chapter or subsequently regulated by the 1
82	82	department for the implementation thereof. 2
83	83	(9) "Participating student" means any eligible student or qualified student who is accepted 3
84	84	into the bright today scholarship program. 4
85	85	(10) "Qualified funding" refers to the additional funds allocated by the state for students 5
86	86	having a disability under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) or chapter 6
87	87	24 of title 16. 7
88	88	(11) "Qualified school" means a nongovernmental primary or secondary school or a 8
89	89	preschool for handicapped students that is located in this state and that conforms with the 9
90	90	requirements for such schools within Rhode Island. 10
91	91	(12) "Qualified student" means a resident of this state who is an "eligible student", and who 11
92	92	is any of the following: 12
93	93	(i) Identified as having a disability under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 13
94	94	U.S.C. 794); or 14
95	95	(ii) A child with a disability who is eligible to receive services from a school district under 15
96	96	chapter 24 of title 16. 16
97	97	(13) "Resident school district" means the public school district in which the student resides. 17
98	98	(14) "Treasurer" means the office of the Rhode Island general treasurer. 18
99	99	16-112-4. Core components and requirements of the bright today scholarship 19
100	100	program. 20
101	101	(a) Scholarships. Scholarships are established to provide options for the education of 21
102	102	students in Rhode Island. 22
103	103	(b) Enrollment. Any parent of a participating student may enroll the student for a 23
104	104	scholarship by signing an agreement whereby the parent promises: 24
105	105	(1) To provide an education for the participating student in at least the subjects of reading, 25
106	106	grammar, mathematics, social studies and science; 26
107	107	(2) Not to enroll the participating student in a school district or charter school and release 27
108	108	the school district from all obligations to educate the qualified student; 28
109	109	(3) To use the money deposited in the participating student's bright today scholarship 29
110	110	account only for the following expenses of the participating student: 30
111	111	(i) Tuition or fees at a participating school or a qualified school; 31
112	112	(ii) Textbooks required by a participating school, qualified school, or private tutoring 32
113	113	curriculum; 33
114	114	(iii) Tutoring services provided by a tutor accredited by a state, regional or national 34
115	115
116	116
117	117	LC001911 - Page 4 of 12
118	118	accrediting organization; 1
119	119	(iv) Curriculum; 2
120	120	(v) Tuition or fees for a non-public online learning program; 3
121	121	(vi) Fees for a nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement test, advanced 4
122	122	placement examinations or any exams related to college or university admission; 5
123	123	(vii) Educational therapies or services for the qualified student from a licensed or 6
124	124	accredited practitioner or provider, including licensed or accredited paraprofessionals or 7
125	125	educational aides: 8
126	126	(viii) Fees for courses at an eligible postsecondary institution, taken prior to the student's 9
127	127	graduation from high school or the equivalent; 10
128	128	(ix) Fees for management of the scholarship account by firms selected by the general 11
129	129	treasurer; and 12
130	130	(x) Services provided by a public school, including individual classes and extracurricular 13
131	131	programs; 14
132	132	(4) Any unspent funds may be rolled over and shall remain in the participating student's 15
133	133	scholarship for use in future years during the participating student's kindergarten through grade 16
134	134	twelve (K-12) educational career; 17
135	135	(5) Not to use monies deposited in the participating student's account for any of the 18
136	136	following: 19
137	137	(i) Computer hardware or other technological devices, except as required in lieu of 20
138	138	textbooks or for the completion of specific course requirements; 21
139	139	(ii) Transportation of the pupil; and 22
140	140	(iii) Consumable educational supplies, including, but not limited to, paper, pens or markers; 23
141	141	(c) Parent payments. Parents will be allowed to make payments for the costs of educational 24
142	142	programs and services not covered by the funds in their scholarship accounts. 25
143	143	(d) Department scholarship account fund. In exchange for the parent's agreement pursuant 26
144	144	to subsection (b) of this section, the department shall transfer from the aggregate monies that would 27
145	145	otherwise be allocated to the participating student's resident school district a payment for base 28
146	146	funding or qualified funding as described in subsections (e), (f), and (g) of this section, to the 29
147	147	general treasurer for deposit into an individual bright today scholarship account to be managed by 30
148	148	the parents of the student. The department may retain a maximum of three percent (3%) of each 31
149	149	individual scholarship awarded in any given school year for deposit in the department's scholarship 32
150	150	account fund to be used for administration of the scholarship program. 33
151	151	(e) Base funding -- Scholarship award schedule for new and switching students. Grant 34
152	152
153	153
154	154	LC001911 - Page 5 of 12
155	155	amounts to scholarship accounts of families of eligible students will be determined by the following 1
156	156	guidelines; provided that, no individual student's scholarship shall exceed six thousand dollars 2
157	157	($6,000); 3
158	158	(1) For students from households qualifying for the federal free or reduced-price lunch 4
159	159	program, each student's scholarship amount shall be equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the 5
160	160	resident district's base funding. 6
161	161	(2) For students from households with annual income greater than the amount required to 7
162	162	qualify for the free or reduced lunch program but less than or equal to one and one-half (1.5) times 8
163	163	that amount, each student's scholarship amount shall be equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the 9
164	164	resident district's base funding. 10
165	165	(3) For students from households with annual income of greater than one and one-half (1.5) 11
166	166	times the amount required to qualify for the free or reduced lunch program but less than or equal 12
167	167	to two (2) times that amount, each student's scholarship amount shall be equal to fifty percent (50%) 13
168	168	of the resident district's base funding. 14
169	169	(4) For students from households with annual income of greater than two (2) times the 15
170	170	amount required to qualify for the free or reduced lunch program but less than or equal to two and 16
171	171	one-half (2.5) times that amount, each student's scholarship amount shall be equal to twenty-five 17
172	172	percent (25%) of the resident district's base funding. 18
173	173	(5) For students from households with annual income of greater than two and one-half (2.5) 19
174	174	times the amount required to qualify for the free or reduced lunch program, each student's 20
175	175	scholarship amount shall be equal to fifteen percent (15%) of the resident district's base funding. 21
176	176	(f) Base funding -- Scholarship award schedule for students attending private school or 22
177	177	receiving at-home instruction at the time of enactment. Grant amounts to scholarship accounts of 23
178	178	families of approved students pursuant to this chapter shall be equal to the scholarships for their 24
179	179	household income level, as set forth in subsection (e) of this section; provided that, each student's 25
180	180	scholarship amount shall be reduced by seventy-five percent (75%). 26
181	181	(g) Qualified funding -- Scholarship awards. For any student having a disability who is 27
182	182	accepted into the bright today scholarship account program, the scholarship amount will be equal 28
183	183	to the scholarships for their household income level, as described in this section, plus the additional 29
184	184	qualified funding designated for that student. The department may reduce the additional qualified 30
185	185	funding award by an amount sufficient to reimburse the department and the resident school district 31
186	186	for services assessing the student or developing an individual education plan for that student; 32
187	187	provided that, such reimbursements shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the additional qualified 33
188	188	funding award. 34
189	189
190	190
191	191	LC001911 - Page 6 of 12
192	192	(h) A parent must renew the participating student's scholarship account on an annual basis. 1
193	193	A student who has previously qualified for a bright today scholarship account shall remain eligible 2
194	194	to apply for renewal until the student graduates with a high school diploma or the equivalent. 3
195	195	(i) A participating school, qualified school, or a provider of services purchased pursuant to 4
196	196	§ 16-112-4(b)(3) shall not share, refund, or rebate any bright today scholarship account monies 5
197	197	with the parent, eligible student, or qualified student in any manner. 6
198	198	(j) A participating student shall be counted in the enrollment figures for his or her resident 7
199	199	school district for the purposes of the state funding formula under the permanent foundation 8
200	200	education aid set forth in chapter 7.2 of this title for as long as that student remains an eligible 9
201	201	student under this chapter. The department shall subsequently subtract the total aggregate 10
202	202	scholarship amounts awarded to students within each resident district from that district's state 11
203	203	school aid. 12
204	204	(k) In subsequent years following enactment of this chapter, for "participating" students 13
205	205	who have entered the state's kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) educational system for the 14
206	206	first time, fifteen percent (15%) of the total number of such students shall be counted in the 15
207	207	enrollment figures for his or her resident school district for the purposes of the state funding formula 16
208	208	under the permanent foundation education aid set forth in chapter 7.2 of this title, for as long as 17
209	209	those students remain "eligible" students pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. 18
210	210	(l) Funds in the scholarship account may only be used during the student's kindergarten 19
211	211	through grade twelve (K-12) educational career. Upon the participating student's graduation with a 20
212	212	high school diploma or the equivalent, the student's bright today scholarship account shall be closed 21
213	213	and any remaining funds shall be returned to the Rhode Island department of elementary and 22
214	214	secondary education. 23
215	215	(m) Monies received pursuant to this chapter do not constitute taxable income to the parent 24
216	216	of the participating student. 25
217	217	16-112-5. Administration of bright today scholarship accounts. 26
218	218	(a) The department shall determine a specified "application period" that is between April 27
219	219	1 and June 30 of each year during which it will accept applications for the following fiscal year. 28
220	220	(b) The department shall adopt rules and policies necessary for the administration of 29
221	221	scholarship accounts. including policies for conducting examinations of use of account funds. 30
222	222	Conducting random quarterly and annual reviews of accounts, potentially including, but not limited 31
223	223	to, creating an online anonymous fraud reporting service, and creating an anonymous telephone 32
224	224	hotline for fraud reporting. 33
225	225	(c) The general treasurer may contract with private financial management firms to manage 34
226	226
227	227
228	228	LC001911 - Page 7 of 12
229	229	bright today scholarship accounts; provided the treasurer maintains supervision of the process. 1
230	230	(d) The debarment shall have the authority to conduct or contract for annual or random 2
231	231	audits of scholarship accounts, to ensure compliance with this chapter. 3
232	232	(e) A parent or participating student or vendor may be disqualified from program 4
233	233	participation if the party is found to have committed an intentional program violation consisting of 5
234	234	any misrepresentation or other act that materially violates a law or rule governing the program. The 6
235	235	department may then remove any parent or participating student from future eligibility for a bright 7
236	236	today scholarship account and shall notify the treasurer. A parent, student, or vendor may appeal 8
237	237	the department's decision pursuant to an appeal process to be established by the department and as 9
238	238	set forth in chapter 39 of title 16. 10
239	239	(f) The department may refer cases of substantial misuse of monies to the attorney general 11
240	240	for investigation if the department obtains evidence of fraudulent use of an account. 12
241	241	(g) The department shall make quarterly transfers of the amount calculated for base funding 13
242	242	and qualified funding pursuant to the provisions of § 16-112-4 to the general treasurer for deposit 14
243	243	into the individual scholarship account of each qualified student. 15
244	244	(h) A person commits savings account fraud if the person knowingly obtains by means of 16
245	245	a false statement or representation, by impersonation, or by other fraudulent device any of the 17
246	246	following: 18
247	247	(1) Assistance or service to which that person is not entitled; 19
248	248	(2) Assistance or service greater than that to which the person is entitled; and 20
249	249	(3) Payment for services or materials not listed in § 16-112-4(b)(3). 21
250	250	(i) No financial institution shall be liable in any civil action for providing a scholarship 22
251	251	account's financial information to the department of education unless the information provided is 23
252	252	false and the financial institution providing the false information does so knowingly and with 24
253	253	malice. 25
254	254	16-112-6. Administrative and academic accountability standards. 26
255	255	To hold participating schools accountable and to ensure that certain administrative 27
256	256	standards are met to treat all students safely and fairly, participating schools shall: 28
257	257	(1) Comply with all state laws dealing with health and safety that apply to private schools; 29
258	258	(2) Maintain a valid occupancy permit, as may be required by state or local laws; 30
259	259	(3) Certify their compliance with nondiscrimination policies and provisions set forth in 42 31
260	260	U.S.C. 1981; and 32
261	261	(4) Provide parents with a receipt for all qualifying expenses at the school. 33
262	262	16-112-7. Academic accountability standards. 34
263	263
264	264
265	265	LC001911 - Page 8 of 12
266	266	In order to allow parents and taxpayers to measure the achievements of the program: 1
267	267	(1) Parents shall ensure that: 2
268	268	(i) Each year, participating students within their households take either the state 3
269	269	achievement tests or nationally norm-referenced tests that measure learning gains in math and 4
270	270	language arts and provide for value-added assessment; 5
271	271	(ii) The results of these tests are provided to the department on an annual basis, beginning 6
272	272	with the first year of testing; 7
273	273	(iii) The student information is reported in a way that would allow the state to aggregate 8
274	274	data by grade level, gender, family income level, and race; and 9
275	275	(iv) The department will be informed of the eligible student's graduation from high school, 10
276	276	or the equivalent. 11
277	277	(2) The department shall: 12
278	278	(i) Ensure compliance with all student privacy laws; 13
279	279	(ii) Collect all test results from all participating students; 14
280	280	(iii) Provide aggregate test results, associated learning gains, and graduation rates to the 15
281	281	public via a state website after the third year of test and graduation-related data collection. The 16
282	282	findings shall be aggregated by the students' grade level, gender, family income level, number of 17
283	283	years of participation in the scholarship program, and race; 18
284	284	(iv) Provide graduation rates to the public via a state website after the third year of test and 19
285	285	test-related data collection; 20
286	286	(v) Administer an annual parental satisfaction survey that shall ask parents of students 21
287	287	receiving scholarship accounts to express: 22
288	288	(A) Their satisfaction with the program; and 23
289	289	(B) Their opinions on other topics, items, or issues that the state finds would elicit 24
290	290	information about the effectiveness of scholarship accounts program and the number of years their 25
291	291	child has participated in the program. 26
292	292	16-112-8. Prohibition of state control over nonpublic schools and homeschools. 27
293	293	(a) This chapter shall not permit any government agency to exercise control or supervision 28
294	294	over any nonpublic school or homeschool. 29
295	295	(b) Participating schools or parents or groups providing at-home instructions that accept 30
296	296	payments from a scholarship account pursuant to this chapter are not agents of the state or federal 31
297	297	governments. 32
298	298	(c) A participating or qualified school shall not be required to alter its creed, practices, 33
299	299	admissions policies, or curricula in order to accept students whose parents pay tuition or fees from 34
300	300
301	301
302	302	LC001911 - Page 9 of 12
303	303	scholarship accounts pursuant to this chapter in order to participate. 1
304	304	(d) Participating private schools, providers of at-home instruction, and other education 2
305	305	providers shall be given the maximum freedom to provide for the educational needs of their 3
306	306	students without governmental or departmental control. 4
307	307	(e) In any legal proceeding challenging the application of this chapter to a participating 5
308	308	school, the state bears the burden of establishing that the law is necessary and does not impose any 6
309	309	undue burden on participating schools or providers. 7
310	310	16-112-9. Responsibilities of the department. 8
311	311	(a) The department shall ensure that eligible students and their parents are informed 9
312	312	annually of which schools will be participating in the scholarship account program. Special 10
313	313	attention shall be paid to ensuring that lower-income families are made aware of the program and 11
314	314	their options. 12
315	315	(b) The department shall create a standard form that parents of eligible students can submit 13
316	316	to establish their students' eligibility for the scholarship account program. The department shall 14
317	317	ensure that the application is readily available to interested families through various sources, 15
318	318	including the Internet. 16
319	319	(c) The department may bar a participating school or education provider from the 17
320	320	scholarship account program if the department establishes that the participating school or education 18
321	321	provider has: 19
322	322	(1) Routinely failed to comply with the accountability standards established in this chapter; 20
323	323	or 21
324	324	(2) Failed to provide the eligible student with the educational services funded by the 22
325	325	scholarship account. 23
326	326	(d) If the department decides to bar a participating school or education provider from the 24
327	327	program, it shall notify eligible students and their parents of this decision as quickly as possible. 25
328	328	(e) The department shall adopt rules and procedures as necessary for the administration of 26
329	329	the scholarship account program. 27
330	330	16-112-10. Responsibilities of the resident school district. 28
331	331	(a) The resident school district shall provide a participating school or education provider 29
332	332	that has admitted an eligible student under this program with a complete copy of the student's school 30
333	333	records, while complying with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. 31
334	334	1232g). 32
335	335	(b) The resident school district shall provide transportation for an eligible student to and 33
336	336	from the participating school or education provider under the same conditions as the resident school 34
337	337
338	338
339	339	LC001911 - Page 10 of 12
340	340	district is required to provide transportation for other resident students to private schools as per 1
341	341	current law. The resident school district may qualify for any existing state transportation aid for 2
342	342	each student so transported. 3
343	343	(c) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as supplanting the responsibilities of resident 4
344	344	districts as provided in current law. 5
345	345	16-112-11. Open enrollment. 6
346	346	(a) Definitions. For the purposes of this section: 7
347	347	(1) "Nonresident pupil" means a pupil who resides in the State of Rhode Island and who is 8
348	348	enrolled in or is seeking enrollment in a school district other than the school district in which the 9
349	349	pupil resides. 10
350	350	(2) "Open enrollment" means a policy adopted and implemented by a school district 11
351	351	governing board to allow resident transfer pupils to enroll in any school within the school district, 12
352	352	to allow resident pupils to enroll in any school located within other school districts in this state, or 13
353	353	to allow nonresident pupils to enroll in any school within the district. 14
354	354	(3) "Resident transfer pupil" means a resident pupil who is enrolled in or seeking 15
355	355	enrollment in a school that is within the school district but outside the attendance area of the pupil's 16
356	356	residence. 17
357	357	(4) "Receiving school district" means the school district that has accepted enrollment of a 18
358	358	nonresident pupil. 19
359	359	(b) Enrollment policies. 20
360	360	(1) School district governing boards shall establish inter-district open enrollment policies. 21
361	361	(2) State funding adjustments may be arranged for nonresident pupils only if two (2) school 22
362	362	districts have entered into a voluntary agreement for such adjustments for certain pupils. These 23
363	363	policies shall include admission criteria, available capacity, application procedures, and 24
364	364	transportation provisions. Any and all funding adjustments will be made via associated adjustments 25
365	365	of the state portion of funds distributed to the mutually agreed districts. 26
366	366	(3) A copy of the district policies for open enrollment shall be posted on the district's 27
367	367	website and shall be available to the public on request. 28
368	368	(i) Each policy shall describe the opportunities for resident pupils to transfer to other 29
369	369	schools within the district or outside of the district and the opportunities for nonresident pupils to 30
370	370	transfer to schools within the district. 31
371	371	(ii) Each nonresident pupil shall be counted in the enrollment figures for his or her new 32
372	372	"receiving school district." for the purposes of the state funding formula under chapter 7.2 of this 33
373	373	title. 34
374	374
375	375
376	376	LC001911 - Page 11 of 12
377	377	(iii) Resident transfer pupils and nonresident pupils shall be permitted to remain in the 1
378	378	school into which they were initially accepted through completion of the highest grade offered in 2
379	379	that school and may be given enrollment preference for other schools within the receiving school 3
380	380	district. 4
381	381	(iv) A school district may give enrollment preference to and reserve capacity for pupils 5
382	382	who are children of persons who are employed by or at a school in the school district. 6
383	383	(v) The resident school district shall provide transportation for a nonresident or resident 7
384	384	transfer pupils to and from the participating school or education provider under the same conditions 8
385	385	as the resident school district is required to provide transportation for other resident students to 9
386	386	private schools as per current law. The resident school district may qualify for any existing state 10
387	387	transportation aid for each student so transported. 11
388	388	(vi) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or replace specific agreements that 12
389	389	school districts may have with other school districts upon enactment of this chapter or to limit their 13
390	390	right to enter into such agreements thereafter. 14
391	391	(c) District and school immunity. A school district and its employees are immune from 15
392	392	civil liability for decisions that concern the acceptance or rejection of a nonresident pupil for 16
393	393	enrollment and that are based on a good faith application of the requirements of this chapter and 17
394	394	the standards adopted pursuant to this chapter. 18
395	395	16-112-12. Commencement of program. 19
396	396	The bright today scholarship and open enrollment program shall be in effect beginning 20
397	397	August 1, 2023. 21
398	398	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 22
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402	402
403	403
404	404	LC001911 - Page 12 of 12
405	405	EXPLANATION
406	406	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
407	407	OF
408	408	A N A C T
409	409	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE BRIGHT TODAY SCHOLARSHIP AND OPEN
410	410	ENROLLMENT EDUCATION ACT
411	411	***
412	412	This act would provide parents of kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) students in 1
413	413	Rhode Island with an opportunity to enroll their child in an educational program of their choosing, 2
414	414	either via open enrollment in a traditional public school in their own district or any other public 3
415	415	school district, or by receiving a scholarship, with designated public monies to follow the student 4
416	416	to a participating private school or private curriculum program selected by the parent. The program 5
417	417	combines aspects of what are sometimes referred to as "school choice" and "school voucher" 6
418	418	programs. The program would begin August 1, 2023. 7
419	419	This act would take effect upon passage. 8
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421	421	LC001911
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