SECTION 1. Section 8A of Chapter 74 of the general laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the section and inserting in place thereof the following:-

Section 8A. A municipality, wherein a person resides who is admitted to a day school in another town under section 7, may, through its school committee, when necessary, provide for the transportation of such person and may provide the transportation for a fee regardless of where the pupil lives; provided further that said fee shall operate within a similar fee structure that currently exists in sending town, provided further that said fee shall not be higher than the highest rate with which is charged by the home, sending district for students that are attending an in-district home school, but a student eligible for a free or reduced lunch under the federal school lunch program shall not be required to pay a fee; provided that a school committee may choose to exempt families at other income levels as it may determine; provided further, that no transportation shall be provided for any pupil who resides less than 1 ½ miles from the school which he attends.  A municipality shall not be required under the provisions of this section to provide for the transportation of a person who has completed the twelfth grade of school or the equivalent thereto.