Rhode Island Senate Bill S0113

Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/31/25
• Refer: 1/31/25
• Report Pass: 6/5/25
• Engrossed: 6/10/25

Caption

Relieves East Providence from providing any educational/financial resources to children in the CRAFT program. Requires the school district of origin where the student was last registered to bear this responsibility.

Impact

By shifting the financial responsibilities for educational resources from East Providence to the respective school districts of origin, S0113 aims to redefine the distribution of costs relating to the education of children in treatment facilities. This move is expected to have significant implications for resource allocation among different school districts, potentially creating disparities based on the number of children from each district enrolled in such programs. This could lead to uneven funding and support levels for schools, especially for districts with higher incidences of youth in these treatment facilities.

Summary

S0113 seeks to amend the existing education regulations concerning children's residence for school purposes, particularly focusing on the financial obligations of school districts in relation to children placed in the CRAFT program and similar facilities. The bill specifically relieves the East Providence public schools and city from any educational or financial responsibilities towards children who are attending the CRAFT program or other Bradley Hospital programs. Instead, it mandates that the school district from which the child was last registered will assume these responsibilities starting June 30, 2025.

Contention

The proposed bill has generated discussions about its fairness and potential consequences for the involved parties. While supporters argue that this measure will alleviate the financial burden on East Providence due to the costs associated with the education of students in specialized programs, critics raise concerns regarding the adequacy of support for these vulnerable children. Questions have arisen about how effectively the origin school districts can manage these responsibilities, given they may have fewer resources or specialized staff compared to larger urban districts capable of providing such services.