State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Rhode-island > Title-16 > Chapter-16-19 > 16-19-1SECTION 16-19-1
§ 16-19-1 Attendance required. – (a) Every child who has completed or will have completed six (6) years of lifeon or before September 1 of any school year and has not completed sixteen (16)years of life shall regularly attend some public day school during all the daysand hours that the public schools are in session in the city or town in whichthe child resides. Every person having under his or her control a child asdescribed in this section shall cause the child to attend school as required bythis section, and for every neglect of this duty the person having control ofthe child shall be fined not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00) for each day orpart of a day that the child fails to attend school, and if the total of thesedays is more than thirty (30) school days during any school year, then theperson shall, upon conviction, be imprisoned not exceeding six (6) months orshall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or both; provided,that if the person so charged shall prove that the child has attended for therequired period of time a private day school approved by the commissioner ofelementary and secondary education pursuant to § 16-60-6(10), or a courseof at-home instruction approved by the school committee of the town where thechild resides, or that the physical or mental condition of the child was suchas to render his or her attendance at school inexpedient or impracticable, orthat the child was excluded from school by virtue of some general law orregulation, then attendance shall not be obligatory nor shall the penalty beincurred.
(b) Every child enrolled in school who completes or hascompleted sixteen (16) years of life and who has not yet attained eighteen (18)years of age shall regularly attend school during all the days and hours thatthe public schools are in session in the city or town in which the childresides unless the person having control of the child withdraws the child fromenrollment in accordance with § 16-67.1-3. Provided, however, that nothingin this subsection or in subsection (a) of this section shall prohibit or limitcities or towns from enacting programs of early intervention and/or mediationin an effort to address the problems of students who are habitually late orabsent from school.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to limit orotherwise interfere with the rights of teachers and other school employees tocollectively bargain pursuant to chapters 9.3 and 9.4 of title 28 or to allowany school committee to abrogate any agreement reached by collective bargaining.
