2019 -- H 5168

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LC000281

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- AMERICANIZATION OF SCHOOLS

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Edwards, Diaz, Alzate, Mendez, and Tobon

     Date Introduced: January 23, 2019

     Referred To: House Health, Education & Welfare

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Sections 16-29-7 and 16-29-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-29

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entitled "Americanization Schools" are hereby repealed.

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     16-29-7. Required attendance by persons over compulsory school age.

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     Every person who has completed sixteen (16) years of life and who has not completed

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twenty-one (21) years of life, and who cannot speak, read, and write the English language in

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accordance with standards approved by the department of elementary and secondary education,

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and who resides in a city or town in which the school committee has established a day

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continuation school for the teaching of the English language, or an evening school, shall attend

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either the day continuation school or the evening school at least two hundred (200) hours between

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the first day of September and the first day of June in every year until he shall have acquired

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reasonable facility in speaking, reading, and writing the English language in accordance with

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standards approved by the department of elementary and secondary education.

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     16-29-9. Penalty for failure to attend schools.

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     Any person who has completed sixteen (16) years of life and who has not completed

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twenty-one (21) years of life, and who does not speak, read, and write English in accordance with

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standards approved by the department of elementary and secondary education, who resides in a

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city or town in which the school committee has made provision for the teaching of the English

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language in compliance with this chapter, who habitually absents himself or herself from public

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instruction, is sufficiently irregular to make it impossible for him or her to complete two hundred

 

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(200) hours of instruction annually within the time set by the school committee for conducting the

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schools, and is not attending private instruction approved by the school committee as provided in

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ยง 16-29-8, may be fined for each willful absence one dollar ($1.00) and not exceeding twenty

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dollars ($20.00) in the aggregate during one year or, for persistent refusal to attend the

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instruction, may be committed to an institution during his or her minority.

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     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 -- AMERICANIZATION OF SCHOOLS

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     This act would repeal the requirement that persons between sixteen (16) and twenty-one

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(21) years of age who cannot speak, read and write English attend school for the teaching of the

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English language for at least two hundred (200) hours until they acquire reasonable facility in

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speaking, reading and writing English. This act would also repeal fines and commitment to an

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institution as punishment for willful violation of this act.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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