§ 16-45-6.1. Career and technical education.
(a) The general assembly finds that career and technical education ("CTE�) programs that
meet the CTE board of trustees' industry developed standards prepare Rhode Island's
students to succeed in a wide variety of employment settings are a critical component
of the state's public education system and a necessary element of the state's economic
development. CTE programs that meet the CTE board of trustees' standards are located
in the regional career and technical education centers and comprehensive high schools
and are helping students graduate high school with the skills to secure a job with
a family-sustaining wage.
(b) The general assembly further finds that the proportion of students now enrolled in
such programs is inadequate to meet the needs of Rhode Island's growing economy. Rhode
Island's employers are best positioned to assist in establishing a high-quality system
of secondary and postsecondary career and technical education. To assist in the development
of a high-quality system of CTE, the CTE board of trustees shall review and annually
provide recommendations to the board of education regarding issues impacting secondary
and postsecondary career and technical education, including, but not limited to, program
quality, industry alignment, the effective use of state and federal CTE funding, the
allocation of CTE funding, and expenditures of CTE funding, program outcomes, work-based
learning, transportation, and graduation requirements. The report and recommendations
shall be provided to the board of education no later than October 15 of each year.
(c) [Deleted by P.L. 2021, ch. 278, § 1 and P.L. 2021, ch. 279, § 1.]
(d)(1) To sustain and advance the economic development of our communities, all students retain
the right to enroll in a state approved career and technical education program approved
by the CTE board of trustees in communities outside their community of residence.
This right does not apply to locally developed CTE programs, locally approved CTE
programs, pathway programs, or other programs that are not approved by the CTE board
of trustees. Students shall have a right to request enrollment and to enroll in a
CTE board of trustees' approved program outside of their community of residence when
a substantially similar or same ("substantially similar�) CTE board of trustees approved
program is not offered within their community of residence.
(2) In determining whether two programs are substantially similar, the CTE board of trustees
shall consider the following factors:
(i) Program type;
(ii) Information on the occupation that the student will be prepared for;
(iii) The credentials the student will earn;
(iv) The type of work-based learning that the student will be provided access to;
(v) The ability to access advanced course experiences; and
(vi) Such additional factors as the CTE board of trustees deem to be relevant, including
postsecondary attainment, industry partnerships and advisory boards, and program quality.
(3) Effective January 15, 2022, and every year thereafter, the CTE board of trustees and
the department of elementary and secondary education shall publish a detailed list
of substantially similar CTE programs for the upcoming school year. The list will
be used to support students and their families in accessing CTE board of trustees
approved career and technical education programs. There will be a thirty-day (30)
period for schools and districts to appeal the substantially similar designation to
the board of education.
(4) Students enrolled in, accepted to, or attending a state CTE board-approved program
(the "program of choice�) prior to January 1, 2022, which program is outside of their
home district but is considered to be substantially similar to a program in their
home district, shall be allowed to remain enrolled in that program of choice as set
forth in subsection (j) of this section.
(e) Students may request access to state CTE board-approved career preparation programs
outside their school district if their home district does not provide a substantially
similar state-approved CTE program. If a discrepancy exists as to whether two (2)
state-approved programs are substantially similar, the state CTE board shall use state
CTE board program quality criteria set forth in subsection (d) of this section to
determine if the two (2) state CTE board-approved programs are substantially similar
programs. The decision of the CTE board shall be final.
(f)(1) A student's request to enroll in an out of district state CTE board-approved career
and technical program shall not be denied, provided that:
(i) A substantially similar program is not available in the student's home district;
(ii) The student meets any other criteria required of all students for admission to the
out of district program and the center; and
(iii) When there is more than one recognized CTE program in a transportation region, the
student is applying to the center that is geographically the closest program to the
student's residence.
(g)(1) Students requesting access to state CTE board-approved career preparation programs
outside their established school transportation region may enroll in such programs
that are not substantially similar to a program in their home district. In such event,
with respect to transportation costs, the resident's local education agency shall
only be responsible for paying the resident district's average per pupil expenditure
for student transportation for all students in the district. The receiving district
shall pay any remaining balance due for transportation costs associated with the particular
student.
(2) The sending district shall pay the average of the per-pupil expenditure of the receiving
district and sending district when paying out-of-district tuitions for students in
CTE programs.
(3) When two or more substantially similar programs are available within a student's transportation
district, that student may enroll in the program that is not geographically closest
only if the receiving district agrees to pay all the transportation costs to and from
the receiving district.
(h) All eligible CTE programs shall align to CTE board of trustees' program standards.
Programs that do not meet this standard shall not be eligible to enroll out-of-district
students and receive state or federal CTE funding.
(i) All state CTE board-approved programs shall align to industry standards or be associated
with a nationally recognized CTE board-approved program.
(j) Students enrolled in, accepted to, or attending a state CTE board-approved program
of choice outside of the students' home district as of January 1, 2022, shall be exempt
from the substantially similar provisions of this section and may continue to matriculate
in grades nine (9) through twelve (12) in their program of choice so that students
and parents who made educational decisions prior to January 1, 2022, shall retain
the rights that were in place when they made those decisions. If a substantially similar
state-approved program is established in a student's home district after the student
has enrolled in a program of choice, the student may continue to matriculate in grades
nine (9) through twelve (12) in the student's program of choice provided the student
remains enrolled in the program. The sending district may request, and shall be provided
by the district with the chosen CTE program, information on the students' progress
in programs, including attendance and grades. The provisions of this subsection shall
also apply and extend to other siblings in the family who apply to attend the same
program of choice.
(k) Career and technical funds allocated under § 16-7.2-6 shall be used solely for the purpose of funding improvements to state CTE board-approved
career and technical education programs and facilities or for funding related to the
establishment of new career and technical programs in our state.
(l) The limitations related to enrollment in CTE programs contained within this chapter
shall not apply to the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center or the William
M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School. All eligible students, from any and
all Rhode Island cities and towns, have the right to pursue enrollment and enroll
in, subject to applicable enrollment procedures, the Metropolitan Regional Career
and Technical Center or the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School's
programs.
(m) Provided, effective July 1, 2025, any data collection and reporting for individual
students, that is required as part of the basic education program regulations data
collection including, but not limited to, data required pursuant to the provisions
of chapters 7 and 7.2 of this title, shall be the responsibility of the school district,
wherein the student is attending and enrolled in a career and technical education
program, sometimes colloquially referred to as the "receiving district,� and not the
responsibility of what is sometimes known as the student's "sending district.�