Legislation

We expressed concerns about a piece of legislation which would have required an “individual career and academic plan (ICAP)” for all Rhode Island students in grades six through twelve.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court has several times rejected the notion that students have a judicially enforceable right to an education; this bill would have ensured and constitutionally established this right as fundamental.

Legislation was introduced to ensure both that no student can be excluded from a school activity due to a lack of income and that no parent or guardian can be compelled to give money that they cannot afford for their student to participate in these activities.

We supported a critical piece of legislation which would have largely eliminated the ability for a K-5 student to be given an out-of-school suspension and strengthened the current reporting requirements for school districts.

This bill would have instructed the Commissioner of Education to develop strategies with the intent of bolstering the retention and recruitment of minority teachers and administrators in Rhode Island public schools.

A provision of the proposed FY 2021 budget would extend the current reimbursement funding available for the hiring of school resource officers (SROs) to the hiring of mental health professionals by public schools.

This bill would have largely eliminated the ability for a K-5 student to be given an out-of-school suspension and strengthen the current reporting requirements for school districts.

This legislation would allow high school students to bring over-the-counter medications for self-administration on school property.

This bill would implement comprehensive privacy policy requirements for any school-loaned device program.