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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0633 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC000607 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TEACHERS' TENURE |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators Valverde, DiMario, Thompson, Ujifusa, Gallo, and Murray |
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| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: March 07, 2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: Senate Education |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 16-13 of the General Laws entitled "Teachers’ Tenure" is hereby 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | amended by adding thereto the following section: 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 16-13-10. Termination for cause -- Noncredentialled employees -- List maintained. 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | (a) Whenever a noncredentialled employee’s employment with a school is terminated for 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | good and just cause by a principal, superintendent, school committee or other governing body of a 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | public school, a private school, a school district, a charter public school, or a mayoral academy 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | (hereinafter collectively referred to as a “school”), the school’s governing body shall, within sixty 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | (60) days of the termination, or in cases where the termination is appealed, within sixty (60) days 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | after the conclusion of the appeal filed by the terminated noncredentialled employee, and the 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | termination is upheld, furnish the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | (the “department”) with the identity of the terminated noncredentialled employee and the good and 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | just cause for the termination. Provided, this section shall not apply to: 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) The nonrenewal of a contract of a noncredentialled employee pursuant to § 16-13-2; or 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) The termination of a noncredentialled employee due to fiscal exigency or program 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | reorganization. 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (b) The department shall maintain a list of those noncredentialled employees who have 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | been terminated for good and just cause as well as the good and just cause for the termination (the 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | “list”), and shall update the list monthly to include any additional names and cause submitted 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | pursuant to the provisions of this section. The department shall establish a tracking system for 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC000607 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | reporting these names and causes, as well as to provide access to these names and causes, to hiring 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | authorities. This list shall be accessible only to the hiring authority of any private, parochial, charter, 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | or public school or school district. 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | (c) The list shall not be a public record pursuant to chapter 2 of title 38 ("access to public 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | records"). This section shall not abrogate or modify any existing statutory or common law 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | privileges or immunities. 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | (d) As used herein, the term “noncredentialled employee” means any person working 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | within or for a school whose employment with the school does not require an educational license 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | or certificate issued by the department. The following persons are excluded from the definition of 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | a “noncredentialled employee” if those persons are working within or for a school using any of the 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | licenses listed herein: 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (1) A teacher as defined in §16-13-1; 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (2) An athletic coach as described in chapter 11.1 of title 16 (“athletic coaches”); 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (3) A teaching assistant as defined in §16-11.2-1; 14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | (4) A superintendent, assistant superintendent, or equivalent similar position, as defined in 15 |
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| 59 | 59 | | §16-2-10; 16 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (5) An administrator including, but not limited to, a principal, vice principal, or similar 17 |
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| 61 | 61 | | building-level administrator as defined in §16-12.1-2; and 18 |
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| 62 | 62 | | (6) Any other person who is employed in or for a school in a position that requires 19 |
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| 63 | 63 | | possession of a certificate or license issued by the department. 20 |
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| 64 | 64 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 21 |
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| 65 | 65 | | ======== |
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| 66 | 66 | | LC000607 |
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| 67 | 67 | | ======== |
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| 68 | 68 | | |
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| 69 | 69 | | |
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| 70 | 70 | | LC000607 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 71 | 71 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 72 | 72 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 73 | 73 | | OF |
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| 74 | 74 | | A N A C T |
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| 75 | 75 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TEACHERS' TENURE |
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| 76 | 76 | | *** |
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| 77 | 77 | | This act would require that the names of any noncredentialled school employees who are 1 |
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| 78 | 78 | | terminated for good and just cause, be furnished to the Rhode Island department of elementary and 2 |
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| 79 | 79 | | secondary education. The department would maintain a list of the names and the good cause for 3 |
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| 80 | 80 | | the termination. This list would not be a public document, but would be available to hiring 4 |
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| 81 | 81 | | authorities of schools and school districts. 5 |
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| 82 | 82 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 6 |
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| 83 | 83 | | ======== |
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| 84 | 84 | | LC000607 |
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| 85 | 85 | | ======== |
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| 86 | 86 | | |
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