North Smithfield has an age requirement (5 on or before Sept 1) with no exceptions. I would like to change that policy to allow waivers to children who are deemed ready, socially and academically. Many parents have children who miss the cut off by days and are punished by wasting a year of their life, and starting their school career off bored.
Why is this important?
My daughter has been proven to be academically and socially ready for kindergarten. She missed the cut-off by 7 days, but the school committee and commissioner of education are playing politics siting a guideline, not law and will not listen to valid, logical points. RI law does not exclude children based on age, but allows separate school districts to make that determination. They've sent me back and forth and put me through the ringer, wasting precious time. It's time to tell them what we think!
