ACLU

Legislation that Makes School Safety Plans Secret Worries Open Govt' Groups

Catherine Welch — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:20:05 +0000

A handful of open government groups are urging Gov. Lincoln Chafee to block legislation that would shroud school safety plans in secrecy.

ACLU Questions Internet Filters

Elisabeth Harrison — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:12:26 +0000

The Rhode Island Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has released a report deeply critical of internet filtering software used in many public schools, saying it is tantamount to censorship. The report found that software blocks a wide variety of web sites including the Smithsonian Institutes and sites with information about anti-government groups.

“The excessive use of Internet filters by schools has seriously infringed on the First Amendment rights of students and teachers on a daily basis,” said the report’s author, Hillary Davis, in a written statement.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Lydia Rogers — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:00:18 +0000

A snow storm is on its way. Yes, again. The ACLU says the state's Attorneys General are falling down on the job of enforcing the Open Meetings Law. These stories and more on the RIPR Morning News Podcast, along with this week's Political Roundtable with guest Pablo Rodriguez.

Do you have insight or expertise on this topic? Please email us, we'd like to hear from you. news@ripr.org

RI Lawmakers should stay clear of immigration issues

Scott MacKay — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:00:00 +0000

For nearly a decade every Rhode Island legislative session has brought a florid and divisive debate over immigration issues. First it was whether the state should require all businesses to check the citizenship status of employees by using a federal computer database known as E-Verify.

ACLU settles lawsuit with Cranston schools

Catherine Welch — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:29:13 +0000

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has settled a lawsuit with the Cranston School Department. The settlement allows a mother with a criminal record to volunteer at her daughter’s elementary school.

When Jessica Doyle was in her early 20’s, she was a heroin addict who was convicted twice for felony drug charges. This was before her daughter was born in 2003. And since then she’s received treatment and is an advocate for drug prevention.

Therapeutic value of medical marijuana

Kristin Gourlay — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Science Friday is airing right now (the 2 o’clock hour on Friday) on Rhode Island Public Radio. (Listen now.) The topic is the medical value of marijuana; a federal appeals court is set to hear arguments about its value next week. Host Ira Flatow is talking to an oncologist and a microbiologist about it. Fascinating.

ACLU sends second warning on Barrington tuition plan

Elisabeth Harrison — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:39:18 +0000

The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has sent another letter to Barrington school officials, warning them that a selective admissions program may violate the law.

Barrington has announced plans to admit up to 10 students from other towns. Under the proposal, those students would pay $13,000 a year to attend the highly ranked school district.