Authorizes the school administration to issue an out-of-school suspension to students if they are a threat to the safety of others.
This bill amends Rhode Island’s school discipline and “right to a safe school” law to expand when school administrators may impose out-of-school suspensions. For students in grade 6 and above, suspension would be permitted not only for disruptive conduct that substantially interferes with learning, but also when a student poses a threat to the safety of students, teachers, or administrators, or violates school rules involving alcohol, illegal drugs or controlled substances, or weapons. The bill also preserves existing appeal rights through the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, the council on elementary and secondary education, and ultimately family court.
For students in preschool through grade 5, the bill narrows the circumstances under which an out-of-school suspension may be used. A suspension for younger students would be allowed only after school administration consults with a school psychologist or other mental health professional and determines that the behavior presents a physical safety or health threat that cannot be reduced through interventions and supports. The bill also requires schools to use behavioral supports, including restorative justice practices, and continues to require compliance with state and federal protections for students with disabilities.
The bill would revise § 16-2-17 of the Rhode Island General Laws governing school discipline, making out-of-school suspension more explicitly available for safety threats and certain serious misconduct in grades 6 and above, while imposing a higher threshold for suspending elementary-aged students. It would also reinforce annual district-level review of discipline data for racial, ethnic, and disability disparities, require reporting when disparities exist, and maintain public reporting of school resource officer activity, use of force, arrests, referrals to law enforcement, and related disciplinary actions. School districts, principals, superintendents, and the Rhode Island Department of Education would be directly affected, along with students and families subject to suspension and appeal procedures.
The bill appears to reflect a generally safety-focused approach to school discipline, with an emphasis on giving schools clearer authority to respond to threats, weapons, drugs, and serious disruption. At the same time, it preserves and in some respects strengthens safeguards for younger students and for students with disabilities by requiring consultation with mental health professionals, use of interventions and supports, and continued adherence to disability-related discipline procedures. No committee votes or transcripts were provided, so there is no recorded public debate in the supplied materials, but the structure of the bill suggests an attempt to balance school safety with restraint in elementary discipline and attention to equity concerns.
The main policy tension in the bill is between school safety and limiting exclusionary discipline, especially for younger children. Supporters would likely favor the broader authority to suspend students who pose threats or engage in serious misconduct, while critics may be concerned that expanding suspension authority could increase removals from school and disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities. The bill directly addresses that concern by requiring annual disparity reviews and reporting, but those provisions may not fully resolve disagreement over whether out-of-school suspension is the right response in all cases. Another possible point of contention is the role of restorative justice and mental health consultation, which some may view as necessary safeguards and others may see as insufficient or burdensome.