2014 -- S 2013

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LC003134

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

     Introduced By: Senators Picard, and Pearson

     Date Introduced: January 09, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 16-21-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-21 entitled "Health and

Safety of Pupils" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-21-1. Transportation of public and private school pupils. -- (a) The school

committee of any town or city shall provide suitable transportation to and from school for pupils

attending public and private schools of elementary and high school grades, except private schools

that are operated for profit, who reside so far from the public or private school which the pupil

attends as to make the pupil's regular attendance at school impractical and for any pupil whose

regular attendance would otherwise be impracticable on account of physical disability or

infirmity.

      (b) The school committee of any town or city shall have discretion to utilize, authorize,

or employ school bus monitors. For transportation provided to children enrolled in grades

kindergarten through five (5), school bus monitors, other than the school bus driver, shall be

required on all school bound and home bound routes. Variances to the requirement for a school

bus monitor may be granted by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education if he or

she finds that an alternative plan provides substantially equivalent safety for children. For the

purposes of this section a "school bus monitor" means any person sixteen (16) years of age or

older who is not also the driver of the school bus.

      (c) No school committee shall negotiate, extend, or renew any transportation contract

unless such contract enables the district to participate in the statewide transportation system,

without penalty to the district, upon implementation of the statewide transportation system

described in RIGL sections 16-21.1-7 and 16-21.1-8. Notice of the implementation of the

statewide transportation system for in-district transportation shall be provided in writing by the

department of elementary and secondary education to the superintendent of each district upon

implementation. Upon implementation of the statewide system of transportation for all students,

each school committee shall purchase transportation services for their own resident students by

accessing the statewide system on a fee-for-service basis for each student; provided, however,

that any school committee that fulfills its transportation obligations primarily through the use of

district-owned buses or district employees may continue to do so. Variances to the requirement

for the purchase of transportation services through the statewide transportation system for non-

public and non-shared routes may be granted by the commissioner of elementary and secondary

education if the commissioner finds that an alternative system is more cost effective. All fees paid

for transportation services provided to students under the statewide system shall be paid into a

statewide student transportation services restricted receipt account within the department of

elementary and secondary education. Payments from the account shall be limited to payments to

the transportation service provider and transportation system consultants. This restricted receipt

account shall not be subject to the indirect cost recoveries provisions set forth in section 35-4-27.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION - HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

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     This act would authorize school committees to use school bus monitors at the discretion

of the committee, and would remove the requirement that bus monitors in addition to the bus

driver be on certain school buses.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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