The bill amends Section 16-64-1.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-64, titled "Residence of Children for School Purposes," to address the payment and reimbursement for educational costs of children placed in foster care, group homes, or other residential facilities by a Rhode Island state agency. The amendment specifies that children in foster care or placed by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) in a group home or residential facility without educational services are entitled to free, appropriate public education in the city or town where they are placed. The bill outlines the financial responsibilities for education costs, including the provision of state aid to education based on the number of "beds" in such facilities and the amounts to be paid per bed, with specific amounts designated for the Children’s Residential and Family Treatment (CRAFT) program at Bradley Hospital.

Additionally, the bill introduces new language that, effective June 30, 2024, exempts the East Providence public schools and the city of East Providence from providing educational services or financial resources to children in the CRAFT program or other Bradley Hospital programs. Instead, the responsibility for providing and paying for these services will fall on the school district of origin, defined as the district where the student was last registered before admission to a Bradley program. The East Providence school district will not receive reimbursement for these students as previously provided by the statute. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2560: 16-64-1.1