2017 -- S 0246

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LC001252

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION-COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

     Introduced By: Senator Roger Picard

     Date Introduced: February 15, 2017

     Referred To: Senate Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 16-19-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-19 entitled

"Compulsory Attendance [See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]"

is hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-19-2. Approval of private schools -- Requirements -- Review.

     (a) For the purposes of this chapter a private school or at-home instruction shall be

approved only when it complies with the following requirements: (1) that the period of attendance

of the pupils in the school or in the home instruction is substantially equal to that required by law

in public schools; (2) that registers are kept and returned to the school committee, the

superintendent of schools, truant officers, and the department of elementary and secondary

education in relation to the attendance of pupils, and are made the same as registers kept by the

public schools; (3) that reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, the history of the United States,

the history of Rhode Island, and the principles of American government shall be taught in the

English language substantially to the same extent as these subjects are required to be taught in the

public schools, and that the teaching of the English language and of other subjects indicated in

this section shall be thorough and efficient; (4) that students receiving at-home instruction shall

be annually evaluated via grade level standardized assessment as approved by the school district

in which the child resides to measure satisfactory progress or growth from the previous year, or

that an annual written narrative evaluation shall be conducted by a certified teacher or other

professional as recommended by the superintendent and approved by the school committee for

the purpose of measuring satisfactory progress or growth from the previous year; provided,

however, that nothing contained in this section shall be construed or operate to deny the right to

teach in private schools or in at-home instruction any of the subjects or any other subject in any

other language in addition to the teaching in English as prescribed in this section; provided,

further, that any interested person resident in any city or town aggrieved by the action of the

school committee of the city or town either in approving or refusing to approve at-home

instruction may appeal the action to the department of elementary and secondary education. The

department of elementary and secondary education, after notice to the parties interested of the

time and place of a hearing, shall examine and decide the appeal without cost to the parties. The

commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall also grant a hearing to any party

aggrieved by a refusal to approve a private school pursuant to § 16-60-6(10). The decision of the

board of regents for elementary and secondary education shall, if an appeal is made to the board,

be final.

     (b) For a child who has been absent from school such that if said pattern of absences

continued, the child would be absent from school for ten (10%) percent or more of the school

year, during the current or previous school year at the time of the request for approval for at-home

instruction, at least two (2) grade-level standardized assessments shall be required annually to

evaluate progress or growth at intervals as recommended by the superintendent and approved by

the school committee. A parent or guardian may request that at least two (2) annual written

narrative evaluations be conducted in lieu of the standardized assessments by a certified teacher

or other professional as recommended by the superintendent and approved by the school

committee for the purpose of measuring satisfactory progress or growth.

     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-COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

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     This act would require that students who are home schooled be evaluated via grade level

standardized assessment to measure satisfactory progress or growth from the previous year, or

that an annual written narrative evaluation be conducted by a certified teacher or other

professional for the purpose of measuring satisfactory progress or growth from the previous year.

More testing would be required in cases of excessive absenteeism.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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