General Assembly passes bill to suspend truant students’ driving privileges

Students who are habitually absent may want to think twice before skipping school next year. The Senate today unanimously passed a bill, introduced by Sen. Hanna M. Gallo, a Cranston Democrat, that would enable judges to suspend the driver’s licenses of minors who are truant.

Gallo, who serves as secretary for the Senate Education Committee, said, “The bill is designed to crack down on young people who have not followed the rules of law, let alone the rules of the road. This is a real effort to keep our students off the streets, both literally and figuratively.”

The bill (2004 – S 2594 sub B) would authorize the Rhode Island Family Court to deny, revoke, suspend and reinstate a juvenile’s driving privileges upon a finding that the juvenile is truant, wayward or delinquent. Before taking any action, the court would consider any need of the juvenile and/or the juvenile’s family for the student to have a driver’s license, the relative benefit of the juvenile retaining or losing driving privileges, and whether any circumstances in the school environment or educational services are adversely affecting the juvenile’s school attendance.

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