We, the undersigned, petition the Rhode Island State Senators and Representatives to pass legislation in the state of Rhode Island similar to that of Minnesota's "Twin Bill". It was sponsored by Minnesota Senator Dennis Frederickson and signed into law by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty on May 5, 2005 and gives the parents/guardians of multiple birth children the ability to decide whether to separate them into different classrooms. Georgia and Texas recently passed similar legislation while Illinois and the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed resolutions that recommend school districts take into account parents requests. We believe that arbitrarily separating all twins and higher order multiples based solely upon their multiplicity and the past practices of principals and/or The Department of Education is discriminatory and therefore unacceptable. Multiplicity is a birthright and the decision to separate or keep the children together within the classroom should be made on a case-by-case basis, based upon the childrens individual needs.

Renowned twins researchers Dr. Nancy Segal, Dr. John Mascazine and the International Society for Twin Studies as well as support groups like the National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs all advocate a flexible classroom placement policy. We also believe that parents/guardians of multiples should have the primary voice in any classroom placement decision made for their children, as they know best their individual psychological, emotional and social needs. With the increase of multiple birth children continuing to rise, this is an issue that will only gain more exposure and validity. We ask that Rhode Island introduce and pass legislation to reflect these parental rights and be among these early states in protecting equality for multiple birth children and their parents.