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 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 for cities and towns with such facilities, based on the number of "beds" certified by DCYF. The aid amounts per bed are stipulated, with different rates for the Children’s Residential and Family Treatment (CRAFT) program at Bradley Hospital.

Additionally, the bill introduces a new subsection (e), which 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, effective June 30, 2024. Instead, the responsibility for providing and paying for such 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