Chapter 388
2011 -- H 6055 SUBSTITUTE A
Enacted 07/13/11
A N A C T
RELATING TO
EDUCATION - RECOVERY HIGH SCHOOLS
Introduced By: Representatives Ferri, Slater, Messier, McNamara, and Malik
Date Introduced: April 13, 2011
It is enacted by the General
Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled
"EDUCATION" is hereby amended
by adding thereto the following chapter:
CHAPTER
95
THE
RECOVERY HIGH SCHOOLS ACT
16-95-1. Short title.
-- This chapter shall be known and may be cited as "The
Recovery
High Schools Act."
16-95-2. Definitions.
-- As used in this chapter, the following words shall have the
following meaning unless the context clearly indicates
otherwise:
(1) "
licensed by RIDE that: (i) Serves
students diagnosed with substance use disorder or dependency,
as defined by the diagnostic and statistical manual of
mental disorders IV-TR; and (ii) Provides
both comprehensive four (4) year high school education and
a structured plan of recovery.
(2) "Board of
regents" means the
secondary education.
(3)
"Commissioner" means the
education.
(4) "RIDE"
means the
(5) "Sending
school district" means the district where the student attending or
planning to
attend a recovery high school resides, and that, upon
recommendation of a clinician licensed
pursuant to chapter 42-35, refers the student for enrollment.
16-95-3. Recovery high schools
established. -- (a) The commissioner is
hereby
authorized to create a pilot recovery high school for the
purposes of demonstrating the
effectiveness of this model in
recovery high school, as defined in subdivision 16-93-2(1),
may submit a proposal to operate a
pilot recovery high school to the commissioner no later
than December 1st of the school year
before the school year in which the recovery high school is
to begin operation. The approval of
the board of regents shall be required in order for the recovery
high school to begin operation.
(b) By approval of
the proposal upon the recommendation of the commissioner, the board
of regents will be deemed to have authorized all
necessary variances from regulations enumerated
in the proposal.
(c) After two (2)
years of operation, the pilot recovery high school will be required to
submit an analysis demonstrating the educational outcomes,
including, but not limited to,
graduation rates, retention rates, course performance, and
performance on the state assessment
attained through the pilot to the commissioner.
16-95-4. Transfer of aid.
-- (a) Any school district in
student or students who are currently or were last enrolled
in said district and who are considered
by the sending district to be both clinically and
academically appropriate for referral to a Rhode
Island recovery high school may be referred for
voluntary enrollment in such school. If said
student is admitted to said school, the sending school district
shall ensure that payment pursuant
to subsection (b) herein for students who attend the
recovery high school is paid, and further, that
upon completion of all other graduation requirements, said
student or students shall receive a
diploma.
(b) A sending school
district shall transfer the per pupil allotment it receives pursuant to
chapter 16-7.2 ("The Education Equity and Property Tax
Relief Act") to a recovery high school
for any student attending the recovery high school and
meeting the following criteria: (1) The
student is currently enrolled in the district or currently
resides in the municipality in which the
district is located; (2) The student is considered by a
clinician licensed pursuant to 42-35, to be
clinically appropriate, using the criteria for substance use
disorders as defined in the diagnostic
and statistical manual of mental disorders IV-TR; and (3)
The student meets all matriculation
criteria as outlined by the sending district and the
department of elementary and secondary
education, with determination of academic eligibility based on
existing documentation provided
by the district. The district and the recovery high
school shall arrange to confer a diploma when a
student completes state and district-mandated graduation
requirements. The local share of
education funding shall be paid to the recovery high school in
the same manner as the local share
of education funding is paid to charter public schools,
the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and
in section 16-7.2-5.
(c) A recovery high
school shall submit to the board of regents academic data considered
necessary by the board to provide information regarding each
student's academic performance,
subject to applicable health confidentiality laws and
regulations.
(d) The board of
regents, in consultation with the department of behavioral health,
developmental disabilities and hospitals shall promulgate rules and
regulations as necessary to
implement and carry out the intent of this chapter.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC02350/SUB A
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