§ 16-21.1-2. School bus districts established.
(a) There are hereby established school bus districts within the state to provide bus
transportation in the interest of public safety, health, and welfare for pupils in
grades kindergarten through twelve (12), or in special education programs, who attend
public schools, including vocational schools and special education programs provided
in accord with regulations of the board of regents for elementary and secondary education,
consolidated schools, regional schools established under the provisions of § 16-3-1 et seq., or who participate in cooperative programs as provided by § 16-3.1-1 et seq., and nonpublic nonprofit schools which are consolidated, regionalized, or
otherwise established to serve residents of a specific area within the state which
schools satisfy the requirements of law for any of the grades of school, kindergarten
through twelve (12), as follows:
(1) Region I: The towns of Burrillville, North Smithfield, and Cumberland, and the city
of Woonsocket;
(2) Region II: The county of Kent, except the town of West Greenwich and the towns of
Foster, Glocester, and Scituate;
(3) Region III: The towns of Lincoln, Smithfield, Johnston, North Providence, Barrington,
Warren, and Bristol, and the cities of Cranston, Central Falls, East Providence, Pawtucket,
and Providence;
(4) Region IV: The county of Washington and the towns of Jamestown and West Greenwich;
(5) Region V: The towns of Little Compton, Middletown, Portsmouth, and Tiverton, and the
city of Newport.
(b) A pupil attending a school, including a public school, vocational school, special
education program provided in accord with regulations of the board of regents for
elementary and secondary education, a regional school established under the provisions
of § 16-3-1 et seq., as authorized by § 16-3.1-1 et seq., or a nonpublic nonprofit school for grades kindergarten through twelve (12),
consolidated, regionalized, or otherwise established to serve residents of a specific
area within the state for any of the grades of schools, kindergarten through twelve
(12), in the interest of public safety, health, and welfare, shall be provided with
bus transportation to the school or facility which the pupil attends, within the region
in which the pupil resides, by the school committee of the city or town within which
the pupil resides. The cost of transporting a pupil attending a charter school, the
William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School ("Davies�), or the Metropolitan
Regional Career and Technical Center ("the Met Center�) within the established region
shall be charged to the receiving school at the same grade level transportation per
pupil cost of the resident district. Districts may offer transportation to charter
schools, Davies, or the Met Center outside the established region in order to facilitate
efficiency provided there is not additional cost to the resident district.