Ocean State Today

Rep. Michael Chippendale (R-Foster) said making Rhode Island’s free tuition program permanent  discriminates against students with disabilities because they can't attend full-time, a requirement to be eligible for the scholarship.

The program which was proposed by Gov. Gina Raimondo in 2017 is set to “end with the high school class graduating in 2021.” But a bill was recently introduced by House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio striking the expiration.

“I can tell you personally that people with disabilities constantly suffer indignities throughout society,” Chippendale wrote to Shekarchi and Ruggerio, according to NBC 10 News. “To imagine the impact this omission and lack of accommodation will have on a child aspiring to further their education, and the potential to dash their dreams to create a better future for themselves, frankly makes my blood boil.”

Students are required to maintain at least a 2.5 GPA, enroll full time and earn 30 credits each year to stay in the program.

“I need to believe that this was simply an oversight when the program was created and not a monetary calculation,” Chippendale stated. “I will not stand by and allow this injustice to continue. We, in the legislature, are obligated to right this wrong, as I am certain you agree.”