Education

RI - Representative Joseph M. McNamara (D)

Title:

Chair

RI - Representative Thomas E. Noret (D)

Title:

First Vice Chair

RI - Representative Rebecca M. Kislak (D)

Title:

Second Vice Chair

RI - Representative Nathan W. Biah (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Julie A. Casimiro (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Justine A. Caldwell (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Megan L. Cotter (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Susan R. Donovan (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Richard R. Fascia (R)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Joshua J. Giraldo (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Ramon A. Perez (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative David Morales (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Robert D. Phillips (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Earl A. Read, III (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Sherry Roberts (R)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Mary Ann Shallcross Smith (D)

Title:

Member

RI - Representative Brandon T. Voas (D)

Title:

Member

RI - HB5044 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES (Provides that parents and guardians of children with disabilities in private school have the same rights and remedies as parents/guardians of children in public school.)

RI - HB5087 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION – THE CHILDREN’S CARDIAC SAFETY ACT (Establishes "The Children's Cardiac Safety Act", and provide for childhood cardiac screening based on modules that incorporate current best practices.)

RI - HB5088 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Mandates the use of a soft-shell helmet cover that adds a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of a traditional football helmet, for students participating in Rhode Island interscholastic league football.)

RI - HB5111 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM (Directs the council on elementary and secondary education to develop recommendations for a high school curriculum to prepare students for successful postsecondary education and careers in computer science.)

RI - HB5112 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM (Requires the department of education to develop and make available for use in all schools a mental health curriculum. School districts would be required to provide four (4) hours of mental health instruction to seventh grade students.)

RI - HB5113 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS (Requires school committees to provide transportation for any students who reside two (2) or more miles from school.)

RI - HB5114 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS (Amends the composition of the Urban Collaborative and provides that the collaborative be governed by a board of trustees.)

RI - HB5115 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL FOOD DYE RESTRICTION ACT (Prohibits the manufacture, sale, and distribution of foods containing certain artificial food dyes within school systems in the State of Rhode Island commencing January 1, 2027.)

RI - HB5162 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (Incorporates the department of elementary and secondary education's SurveyWorks school climate indicators for evaluating the performance of LEAs and individual public schools.)

RI - HB5163 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM (Directs all local education agencies to select one of the identified high-quality curricula and materials for science and technology no later than June 30, 2026.)

RI - HB5164 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES (Establishes a task force managed by the children’s cabinet to develop recommendations to improve access to early intervention and early childhood special education services.)

RI - HB5165 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAMS (Requires the school board or committees of cities and towns to establish a safety and behavioral health committee and also lays out the representation requirements committee responsibilities to ensure a stable learning environment for all students.)

RI - HB5216 AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- PESTICIDE CONTROL (Restricts application of pesticides and rodenticides at schools and child care centers and requires schools to provide copies of notice to parents and guardians.)

RI - HB5251 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RIGHTS AND DUTIES TEACHERS GENERALLY -- SEPTEMBER 11 CLASSROOM MOMENT OF SILENCE (Allows teachers in all grades to provide the opportunity for students to observe a brief moment of silence on every September 11.)

RI - HB5252 AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- WARWICK PUBLIC SCHOOLS BUDGET COMMISSION (Creates the Warwick public schools budget commission consisting of 5 members to oversee the operations of Warwick public schools and to present a preliminary analysis of the school district's financial situation.)

RI - HB5292 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- REGIONAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS (Requires that the basic education program data collection information for students that attend career and technical education schools be charged to the receiving school district and not the sending school district.)

RI - HB5335 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT INVESTMENT INITIATIVE (Nullifies the department of elementary and secondary education recommendation that the turnaround plan for Providence public schools be continued.)

RI - HB5336 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS (Amends the composition of the Urban Collaborative and provide that the collaborative be governed by a board of trustees.)

RI - HB5337 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS--CHARTER SCHOOL REFORM (Allows charter schools to engage in nontraditional approaches to learning, permits local communities to adopt all-charter school public school model for public education.)

RI - HB5338 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Requires at least one certified school psychologist per every five hundred (500) students be employed at each school system.)

RI - HB5339 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS (Provides that for the period up until July 1, 2027, an applicant for a teaching certificate in Rhode Island would not be required to complete a standardized teacher's examination as a prerequisite to obtaining a teaching certificate.)

RI - HB5420 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- PUPIL TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES (Amends the definitions of a “pupil transportation vehicle” to a vehicle contrasted to seat not more than ten (10) passengers plus the operator, rather than the existing limit of eight (8) passengers.)

RI - HB5421 AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ENFORCEMENT (Requires that all new school buses be equipped with live digital video school bus violation detection monitoring systems as of July 1, 2027. All buses, new and used, must have the monitoring systems installed by July 1, 2032.)

RI - HB5422 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL WASTE RECYCLING AND REFUSE DISPOSAL (Amends the certain provisions relative to school waste recycling and refuse disposal and requires reports of waste audits by educational entities and reports of program participation by vendors.)

RI - HB5423 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Repeals the legislative findings in this section and requires elementary, middle and high schools to provide and maintain on-site functional automated external defibrillators (AEDs).)

RI - HB5487 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- OFFENSES PERTAINING TO SCHOOLS (Bans preferential treatment to a public or private university applicant because of the student's familial relationship to a previous university attendee.)

RI - HB5488 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE SCHOOL LIBRARIES ACT (Creates the School Libraries Act.)

RI - HB5489 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL AND YOUTH PROGRAMS CONCUSSION ACT (Replaces the existing chapter on this subject by requiring school districts to organize concussion oversight teams, develop removal-from-play, return-to-play, and return-to-learn protocols, and develop a concussion brochure.)

RI - HB5490 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SCHOOL AND YOUTH PROGRAMS CONCUSSION ACT (Requires all school districts to designate a certified athletic trainer at each high school within its district.)

RI - HB5491 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Requires the department of elementary and secondary education and DOH to adopt policies, rules and regulations for the administration of seizure rescue medications for children who have been medically identified as having epilepsy/seizure disorder.)

RI - HB5593 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COOPERATIVE SERVICE AMONG SCHOOL DISTRICTS (Amends the composition of the Urban Collaborative and provide that the collaborative be governed by a board of trustees.)

RI - HB5594 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT INVESTMENT INITIATIVE (Requires the board of regents to adopt support and intervention strategies consistent with Comprehensive Education Strategy and SALT in one district at a time.)

RI - HB5595 AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE GOOD SAMARITAN OVERDOSE PREVENTION ACT OF 2016 (Requires that every institution of higher education provide training in the administration of opioid antagonists to every staff member on the institution's campus.)

RI - HB5596 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION ACT (Establishes a prekindergarten seat finder to support families in accessing high quality early childhood education programs for three (3) and four (4) year old children.)

RI - HB5597 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Establishes program to provide recommended air quality levels in schools.)

RI - HB5598 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS (Requires every public school to have a policy regarding the use of personal electronic devices on school grounds.)

RI - HB5599 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION (Establishes a corrections education and vocational planning group (CEVPG) to consider opportunities for career and educational programming.)

RI - HB5600 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- ESTABLISHMENT OF CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Amends provisions related to the legislative purpose for alternatives within the public school system.)

RI - HB5601 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION (Directs the commissioner of postsecondary education to prepare a strategic plan for public higher education which is aligned with the goals of the board of education's strategic plan.)

RI - HB5602 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS (Eliminates any requirement that any person who is employed as a physical education teacher not by required to have a certification in adaptive physical education)

RI - HB5603 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CERTIFICATION OF TEACHERS

RI - HB5604 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF TEACHERS GENERALLY (Broadens the definition of "teacher" and create a comprehensive bill of rights for school teachers.)

RI - HR5605 HOUSE RESOLUTION REINSTATING AND EXTENDING THE LIFE AND EXPIRATION DATES OF THE SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ANTI-LITTERING EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR RHODE ISLAND PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS (Reinstates and extends reporting and expiration of commission studying the development and implementation of an anti-littering education program for elementary students, from February 2, 2024, to February 2, 2026, and w...

RI - HB5835 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE PAUL W. CROWLEY RHODE ISLAND STUDENT INVESTMENT INITIATIVE (Enables the Providence School Board to authorize local school-based councils to enhance communication between the board and the individual schools.)

RI - HB5836 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM (Would require every high school to offer a yearlong “ethnic studies” course.)

RI - HB5837 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM (Provides that any school teaching sexual education to students shall provide the sexual education curriculum to every parent or guardian of a student, and the parent or legal guardian shall consent to the teaching of such sexual education curriculum.)

RI - HB5838 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES (Would provide additional procedural safeguards for English as a second language learners and English language learners during the IEP process.)

RI - HB5839 AN ACT RELATING EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (Expands council on elementary and secondary education and board of education and makes teacher of year and student advisory chair voting members on each.)

RI - HB5840 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- ESTABLISHMENT OF CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Requires all certified independent or district charter schools upon application for a renewal of said charter or an application for a new charter school to provide a union neutrality clause in the charter.)

RI - HB5841 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- OFFENSES PERTAINING TO SCHOOLS (Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race by expanding the definition of race to include traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protected hairstyles.)

RI - HB5842 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- FAIRNESS IN WOMEN'S SPORTS ACT (Categorizes women by their biological identity at birth rather than their gender identity for purpose of organized sports.)

RI - HB5843 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- REGIONAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS (Provides for better communication between sending and receiving districts regarding students receiving CTE or pathways education.)

RI - HB6034 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- ESTABLISHMENT OF CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS (Provides that no new network charter school application shall be granted.)

RI - HB6057 AN ACT RELATING TO THE EXETER - WEST GREENWICH SCHOOL DISTRICT (Amends chapter 80 of the public laws of 1965 with respect to the composition of the regional district school building committee, apportionment of construction and operating costs and amendments to the agreement.)

RI - HB6058 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- DUAL ENROLLMENT EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ACT (Amends references in the dual enrollment act by using the phrase “public higher education institution”.)

RI - HB6107 AN ACT RELATING TO PROPERTY -- INSURANCE ON MULTI-UNIT DWELLINGS -- TENANT RELOCATION INSURANCE (Require owners of large multifamily dwellings to secure insurance coverage that provides for the temporary housing of tenants in the event the large multifamily dwelling loses its certificate of occupancy or becomes uninhabitable.)

RI - HR6156 HOUSE RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN IN STATE CARE

RI - HB6271 AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- STUDENT ACCESS TO INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS, "THE VERA RILEY ACT" (Requires public middle schools, to allow students from a recognized non-public, charter, or alternative education institution, to participate in a non-sponsored sport in the school district where the student resides.)