§ 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.

History of Section. (P.L. 1977, ch. 149, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 84, § 51; P.L. 2010, ch. 124, § 2; P.L. 2010, ch. 125, § 2.)