News & Commentary

After WJAR-TV reported that a family was told they could not send their children to Johnston Public Schools because they were living in a motel in town, the ACLU of Rhode Island contacted the Rhode Island Department of Education to urge Commissioner Ken Wagner to promptly intervene.

By Megan Khatchadourian, Assistant to the Director

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island has urged the Providence City Council to reject an ordinance that would restrict certain residential housing from including more than three students. In a letter to the Council, ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown stated: "The ordinance’s undue stigmatization of Providence’s students is contrary to the City’s reputation as a robust host to the local colleges and universities. The focus on this one criterion is unfair and extremely unlikely to help resolve any of the legitimate concerns prompting calls for action in the first place.” 

By Hillary Davis, Policy Associate

By Johanna Kaiser, Communications & Development Associate

The ACLU of Rhode Island recognizes the Department of Health’s legitimate interest in promoting the HPV vaccine for both boys and girls. We also appreciate that there are some illnesses that warrant imposition of mandatory vaccinations in order to protect children attending school. However, excluding middle and high school students from school for being unvaccinated against HPV strikes us as an unfitting and disproportionate remedy.