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H 7003School Safety

Education - Health and Safety of Pupils

Requires the creation and enforcement of a zero-tolerance anti-hazing policy for student athletics in Rhode Island schools.

Signed into law63 Yea1 Nay11 Not voting
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 7, 2026Committee House Education

Plain-English Summary

This bill directs the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE), in collaboration with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL), to establish a comprehensive, statewide anti-hazing policy specifically tailored for student athletics. The legislation mandates a strict zero-tolerance approach to hazing, bullying, and harassment, ensuring that disciplinary actions are transparent, predictable, and consistently applied across all participating schools in the state.

The required policy must include clear definitions and illustrations of what constitutes hazing, specific sanctions for offending students, and proactive educational prevention components. It explicitly states that a victim's consent to an act of hazing is not a valid defense, recognizing the inherently coercive nature of group dynamics and peer pressure in sports. Penalties for violating the policy can range from individual player suspensions to severe team-level consequences, up to and including the cancellation of an entire team's season.

Furthermore, the bill mandates a proactive compliance measure: all student-athletes must sign an official acknowledgment of the anti-hazing policy and its potential penalties before they are allowed to participate in any team practices, meetings, or games. By standardizing these rules, the state aims to foster a safer, more respectful environment in school sports and connect athletic programs with broader statewide school climate and anti-bullying initiatives.

For younger readers

This bill makes a strict rule against hazing and bullying in school sports. Before playing on a team, student athletes will have to sign a form promising not to haze others. Anyone who breaks the rule could be kicked off the team, or their whole team's season could be canceled.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Student-athletesCoaches and athletic directorsSchool administratorsParents of student-athletesRhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL)

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Low. The state has broad authority to regulate public education, student welfare, and school-sponsored extracurricular activities.

Estimated cost
Not specified
Estimated revenue
Not specified

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects vulnerable students from physical and psychological abuse, bullying, and harassment.
  • Ensures consistent and transparent discipline across different school districts, reducing bias in how punishments are handed out.
  • Includes educational and prevention components, rather than relying solely on punitive measures.
  • Invalidates 'consent' as a defense, properly recognizing the coercive power dynamics present in group settings.
  • 'Zero tolerance' policies can sometimes lead to disproportionate, inflexible punishments that push students out of school activities.
  • Canceling an entire team's season acts as collective punishment, harming innocent students who did not participate in the hazing.
  • Strict disciplinary mandates could inadvertently increase the involvement of law enforcement or create harsh permanent records for minors.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes discipline, safety, and strict accountability in school sports programs.
  • Provides clear, unambiguous rules and expectations for student-athletes.
  • Protects schools and districts from liability by establishing a standardized, state-backed policy.
  • Imposes a top-down state mandate on local school districts and independent sports teams.
  • Canceling a whole season for the actions of a few individuals may be seen as government overreach or unfair collective punishment.
  • Adds bureaucratic paperwork by requiring mandatory signed acknowledgments for all students and coaches.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 30 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 16-21 of the General Laws entitled "Health and Safety of Pupils" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 16-21-44. Policy on addressing and prohibiting hazing in student athletics.

(a) The department of elementary and secondary education (the “department”), in conjunction with the Rhode Island interscholastic league (the “interscholastic league”), shall establish an anti-hazing policy (hereinafter “policy”) to address acts of hazing in student athletics. The guiding principle behind this policy is that hazing, bullying and harassment have no place in any school environment. This policy shall incorporate best practices as determined by the department and the interscholastic league. This policy shall also establish zero tolerance for hazing and ensure discipline for hazing incidents is transparent and consistently applied across the state.

(b) This policy shall include the following:

(1) Definitions and illustrations of hazing;

(2) Sanctions and penalties to be imposed on students and student-athletes who engage in hazing incidents, which penalties may include, but are not limited to, suspension from a team, the periods of such suspension, and where appropriate, team-level consequences, which may include the cancelation of a team’s season;

(3) The recognition that consent by a person being subjected to an act of hazing is not a defense under this section;

(4) Education and prevention components that incorporate the opportunity to connect with any emerging statewide efforts around school climate, anti-bullying, and anti-hate initiatives in Rhode Island schools; and

(5) A requirement that each student-athlete subject to this policy shall, prior to attending any team practices, meetings, games, or other functions, sign an acknowledgement and recognition that a violation of the policy may result in the imposition of penalties and sanctions. This document may be a separate acknowledgement or combined with other documents student-athletes are required to sign as a condition of participation.

(d) The department and the league shall use best practices to establish a comprehensive definition for hazing. By way of guidance, and not as a limitation, the definition of hazing should include as an element, the imposition or activity of humiliating, degrading, abusing, or endangering a person, often in the context of a group setting.

(e) Every school and school district participating within the Rhode Island interscholastic league shall be subject to the provisions of this section and the anti-hazing policy.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.