Senate approves President Lawson’s legislation to address needs of CRAFT Program students
STATE HOUSE – The Rhode Island Senate has approved legislation (2025-S 0113A) sponsored by President of the Senate Valarie J. Lawson that would address the educational and financial needs of children in Bradley Hospital’s Children’s Residential and Family Treatment, or CRAFT, Program by requiring responsibility on the part of their home communities.
“This legislation is about ensuring vulnerable children in our state receive the best possible support, and it also about fairness for the City of East Providence and its taxpayers. As the statute currently reads, children in the CRAFT Program are required to be enrolled in East Providence schools and become the educational and financial responsibility of the East Providence School District, even if they are residents of another community.
This creates serious disruptions for students who receive services such as IEPs through their regular school system, and who often have strong existing relationships in their home district. It also places an undue burden on East Providence taxpayers, with costs as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. This legislation would provide for the needs of children in the CRAFT Program to be met as they are in other similar circumstances.
It is the best approach for students, and it is the fair approach for East Providence,” said President Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence).
The legislation defines a CRAFT Program student’s “school district of origin” as the school district in which the student was last registered to attend prior to admission to the program. The bill would take effect on June 30, 2025.
Bradley Hospital’s CRAFT Program provides intensive, family-centered residential treatment services to children ages 5 to 12 years who have emotional and behavioral challenges. Children live together on the hospital’s main campus in East Providence and receive intensive staff supervision and clinical services.
President Lawson’s bill, which the Senate passed on June 10, now heads to the House of Representatives, where Rep. Matthew S. Dawson (D-Dist. 65, East Providence) has introduced similar legislation (2025-H 5746)