Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0113 Compare Versions

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

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5	5	2025 -- S 0113
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7	7	LC000906
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RESIDENCE OF CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES
16	16	Introduced By: Senators Lawson, Britto, and Lauria
17	17	Date Introduced: January 31, 2025
18	18	Referred To: Senate Finance
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21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Section 16-64-1.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-64 entitled "Residence 1
23	23	of Children for School Purposes" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
24	24	16-64-1.1. Payment and reimbursement for educational costs of children placed in 3
25	25	foster care, group homes, or other residential facility by a Rhode Island state agency. 4
26	26	(a) Children placed in foster care by a Rhode Island-licensed child-placing agency or a 5
27	27	Rhode Island governmental agency shall be entitled to the same free, appropriate public education 6
28	28	provided to all other residents of the city or town where the child is placed. The city or town shall 7
29	29	pay the cost of the education of the child during the time the child is in foster care in the city or 8
30	30	town. 9
31	31	(b) Children placed by the department of children, youth and families (DCYF) in a group 10
32	32	home or other residential facility that does not include the delivery of educational services are to 11
33	33	be educated by the community in which the group home or other residential facility is located, and 12
34	34	those children shall be entitled to the same free, appropriate public education provided to all other 13
35	35	residents of the city or town where the child is placed. For purposes of payment and reimbursement 14
36	36	for educational costs under this chapter, the term “group home or other residential facility” shall 15
37	37	not include independent-living programs. Each city and town that contains one or more group 16
38	38	homes or other residential facilities that do not include delivery of educational services will receive 17
39	39	funds as part of state aid to education in accordance with the following provisions: 18
40	40	(1) On December 31 of each year, the DCYF shall provide the department of elementary 19
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43	43	LC000906 - Page 2 of 4
44	44	and secondary education with a precise count of how many group home or other residential facility 1
45	45	“beds” exist in each Rhode Island city or town, counting only those “beds” in facilities that do not 2
46	46	include the delivery of educational services. The number of “beds” in each group home or other 3
47	47	residential facility shall be equal to the maximum number of children who may be placed in that 4
48	48	group home or other residential facility on any given night according to the applicable licensure 5
49	49	standards of the DCYF. 6
50	50	(2) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, if the number of beds certified by DCYF for 7
51	51	a school district by December 31, 2007, is greater than the number certified March 14, 2007, upon 8
52	52	which the education aid for FY 2008 was appropriated, the education aid for that district will be 9
53	53	increased by the number of increased beds multiplied by fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000). 10
54	54	Notwithstanding the provisions of this section or any law to the contrary, the education aid for all 11
55	55	group home or other residential facility “beds” located or associated with the Children’s Residential 12
56	56	and Family Treatment (CRAFT) program located on the East Providence campus of Bradley 13
57	57	Hospital shall be twenty-two thousand dollars ($22,000) per bed. The Department of Elementary 14
58	58	and Secondary Education shall include the additional aid in equal payments in March, April, May, 15
59	59	and June, and the Governor’s budget recommendations pursuant to § 35-3-8 shall include the 16
60	60	amounts required to provide the increased aid. 17
61	61	For all fiscal years beginning after June 30, 2016, education aid for each school district 18
62	62	shall include seventeen thousand dollars ($17,000) for each bed certified by DCYF by the preceding 19
63	63	December 31. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section or any law to the contrary, the 20
64	64	education aid for all group home or other residential facility “beds” located or associated with the 21
65	65	Children’s Residential and Family Treatment (CRAFT) program located on the East Providence 22
66	66	campus of Bradley Hospital shall be twenty-six thousand dollars ($26,000) per bed. For all fiscal 23
67	67	years beginning after June 30, 2008, whenever the number of beds certified by DCYF for a school 24
68	68	district by December 31 is greater than the number certified the prior December 31 upon which the 25
69	69	education aid for that fiscal year was appropriated, the education aid for that district as enacted by 26
70	70	the assembly during the prior legislative session for that fiscal year will be increased by the number 27
71	71	of increased beds multiplied by the amount per bed authorized for that fiscal year. The Department 28
72	72	of Elementary and Secondary Education shall include the additional aid in equal payments in 29
73	73	March, April, May, and June, and the Governor’s budget recommendations pursuant to § 35-3-8 30
74	74	shall include the amounts required to provide the increased aid. 31
75	75	(c) Children placed by DCYF in a residential-treatment program, group home, or other 32
76	76	residential facility, whether or not located in the state of Rhode Island, which includes the delivery 33
77	77	of educational services provided by that facility (excluding facilities where students are taught on 34
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81	81	grounds for periods of time by teaching staff provided by the school district in which the facility is 1
82	82	located), shall have the cost of their education paid for as provided for in subsection (d) and § 16-2
83	83	64-1.2. The city or town determined to be responsible to DCYF for a per-pupil special-education 3
84	84	cost pursuant to § 16-64-1.2 shall pay its share of the cost of educational services to DCYF or to 4
85	85	the facility providing educational services. 5
86	86	(d) Children placed by DCYF in group homes, child-caring facilities, community 6
87	87	residences, or other residential facilities shall have the entire cost of their education paid for by 7
88	88	DCYF if: 8
89	89	(1) The facility is operated by the state of Rhode Island or the facility has a contract with 9
90	90	DCYF to fund a pre-determined number of placements or part of the facility’s program; 10
91	91	(2) The facility is state licensed; and 11
92	92	(3) The facility operates an approved, on-grounds educational program, whether or not the 12
93	93	child attends the on-grounds program. 13
94	94	(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other law, effective June 30, 2025, neither the 14
95	95	East Providence public schools nor the city of East Providence shall be responsible to provide any 15
96	96	educational or related services or instruction or have any financial responsibility for any student 16
97	97	attending the CRAFT program or other Bradley Hospital programs. The school district of origin 17
98	98	shall be responsible to provide and pay for such services and instruction consistent with applicable 18
99	99	state law and regulation. For purposes of this section, “school district of origin” means the school 19
100	100	district in which the student was last registered to attend prior to admission to a Bradley program. 20
101	101	The East Providence school district shall not be paid reimbursement as provided in this statute for 21
102	102	such students. 22
103	103	SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 23
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110	110	EXPLANATION
111	111	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
112	112	OF
113	113	A N A C T
114	114	RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RESIDENCE OF CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL PURPOSES
115	115	***
116	116	This act would relieve the East Providence public schools and the city of East Providence 1
117	117	from providing any educational or financial resources to children placed in the CRAFT program or 2
118	118	other Bradley Hospital programs. The school district of origin where the student was last registered 3
119	119	would bear this responsibility. 4
120	120	This act would take effect upon passage. 5
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122	122	LC000906
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