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H7481ASchool Safety

Education - Health and Safety of Pupils

This bill requires schools to create individual seizure action plans and allows trained volunteer staff to administer emergency medication.

Introduced38 Yea0 Nay0 Not voting
Population
Affected
8
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 4, 2026Committee House Education

Plain-English Summary

This bill requires schools to create individualized "seizure action plans" for students diagnosed with a seizure disorder. Parents must work with their child's doctor and the school nurse to develop this plan, which outlines how to respond to seizures and administer medication. The bill allows parents to authorize trained, volunteer school employees to give emergency nasal seizure rescue medication if a school nurse is unavailable. It outlines requirements for storing medication, training staff, and distributing the plan to relevant personnel. It also protects school staff from civil liability when acting in good faith according to the plan.

For younger readers

This bill makes rules for schools to help students who have seizures. A seizure is a medical problem where the brain sends sudden, fast signals that can make a person shake or pass out. The bill says parents, doctors, and the school nurse must write down a plan for exactly what to do if a student has a seizure at school. If the school nurse isn't there, other school workers can volunteer to learn how to give the student their emergency medicine. The medicine must be kept locked up safely, and the workers won't get in trouble for helping.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Students with seizure disordersParents of students with seizure disordersSchool nursesSchool administratorsSchool employees
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Enhances the inclusivity and safety of public schools for children with disabilities by ensuring their specific medical needs are met through individualized action plans.
  • Protects the rights of school workers by ensuring that non-nurse staff participation in administering medication is strictly voluntary and explicitly prohibits any disciplinary action against those who decline.
  • Promotes overall community welfare by increasing the number of school staff trained in first aid, CPR, and emergency medical response.
  • Relies on volunteer school staff to provide medical care, which may reduce the pressure on districts to fully fund and hire certified, full-time school nurses.
  • Grants broad civil liability immunity to school districts and employees, which could make it difficult for families to seek justice if a child is harmed due to negligence during a medical emergency.
  • May create unspoken pressure on teachers and support staff to volunteer for medical duties outside their job descriptions, adding stress to already overburdened public educators.
For Conservatives
  • Empowers parents to maintain control over their child's healthcare by requiring their direct authorization and collaboration in creating the medical action plan.
  • Provides strong liability protections for school districts and employees, shielding them from potentially costly and frivolous civil lawsuits when acting in good faith.
  • Offers a cost-effective solution to emergency medical care by utilizing volunteer staff rather than mandating the expensive hiring of additional full-time school nurses.
  • Imposes new regulatory mandates on public schools by requiring them to manage, file, and distribute detailed medical plans and coordinate specialized training.
  • Increases government involvement in the storage and administration of prescription medications, potentially creating bureaucratic hurdles during a fast-moving medical emergency.
  • Requires state agencies, such as the Department of Health and Department of Education, to spend resources developing new guidelines and oversight procedures.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions
Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 80 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 16-21 of the General Laws entitled "Health and Safety of Pupils" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following sections: 16-21-44. Seizure safe schools.

(a) "Seizure action plan" means a standardized written, individualized health plan designed to acknowledge and prepare for the healthcare needs of a student diagnosed with a seizure disorder. The parent or guardian of each student diagnosed with a seizure disorder shall collaborate with their child's physician as well as the school nurse teacher to create an individualized seizure action plan. The seizure action plan shall include:

(1) Assurance of access and administration of any medication prescribed to treat seizure disorder symptoms as approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration or any successor agency; and

(2) Physician instructions in administering seizure medications, and manual vagus nerve stimulation, as well as the recognition of the signs and symptoms of seizures and the appropriate steps to be taken to respond to these symptoms

(b) Prior to administering medication prescribed to treat seizure disorder symptoms, the student's parent or guardian shall:

(1) Provide the school with a written authorization to administer the medication at school;

(2) Provide a written statement from the student's healthcare practitioner, which shall contain the following information:

(i) Student's name;

(ii) The name and purpose of the medication;

(iii) The prescribed dosage;

(iv) The route of administration;

(v) The frequency that the medication may be administered;

(vi) The circumstances under which the medication may be administered; and

(vii) Provide the prescribed medication to the school in its unopened, sealed package with the label affixed by the dispensing pharmacy intact.

(c) The department of elementary and secondary education shall issue guidance establishing procedures for the development and content of seizure action plans. 16-21-45. Requirements for administration of seizure rescue medications in a school setting.

(a) The department of elementary and secondary education and the department of health shall issue guidance for administration of seizure rescue medications that are applied via nasal route if prescribed by the child’s physician, to provide for the health and safety of children who have been medically identified as having epilepsy/seizure disorder. This guidance shall include procedures whereby:

(1) A parent or legal guardian of any child may expressly authorize school employees or those employed on behalf of the school, for when there is no school nurse immediately available, to administer a United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved seizure rescue medication to the child in case of an emergency, while at school or school sponsored activities. Any school employee or those employed on behalf of the school who are authorized to administer seizure rescue medications shall be trained in seizure first aid using the Epilepsy Foundation Seizure Training for School Personnel Program and American Heart Association or American Red Cross CPR certification;

(2) The pre-dosed and pre-packaged seizure rescue medication shall be kept in a locked, secure, designated area, readily available;

(3) Seizure rescue medication administration training may be provided by a licensed physician, physician assistant, advanced practiced registered nurse, or registered nurse; provided however, in no case shall school nurse teachers be required to provide training;

(4) The school administration shall allow staff to voluntarily assist with the emergency administration of a seizure rescue medication when authorized by a parent or legal guardian; and

(5) The school district shall provide training to all staff who volunteer to assist with the administration of a seizure rescue medication.

(b) A school employee, including administrative staff, shall not be subject to penalty or disciplinary action for refusing to be trained in the administration of a seizure rescue medication.

(c) A parent or legal guardian shall provide a seizure action plan or physician’s order, signed by the student's healthcare provider, that prescribes the care and assistance needed by the student including administration of seizure rescue medications.

(d) The statements and seizure action plan required by this section shall be kept on file in the office of the school nurse and/or school administrator and with the individual authorized to administer the seizure rescue medication.

(e) The seizure action plan required by this section shall be distributed to any school personnel or volunteers, identified in the seizure action plan, who is responsible for the supervision or care of the student with a seizure disorder. A student’s parent/guardian shall distribute the authorized seizure action plan required by this section to any non-school personnel identified in the seizure action plan, who is responsible for the supervision or care of the student with a seizure disorder.

(f) The presence of a registered nurse employed full-time by a school who assumes responsibility for the administration of seizure medications, and the administration oversight of vagus nerve stimulation, shall fulfill the requirements of this section.

(g) The permission for the administration of any of the medications subject to the provisions of this section shall be effective for the school year in which it is granted and shall be renewed each following school year upon fulfilling the requirements of this section.

(h) The requirements of this section shall apply only to schools that have a student enrolled who has a seizure disorder or has a seizure medication prescribed by the student's healthcare provider to treat seizure disorder symptoms approved by the FDA or any successor agency.

(i) A school district, school district employee, or agent acting in good faith and in substantial compliance with the student's individual health plan, including a seizure action plan, and the instructions of the student's licensed healthcare professional, that provides assistance or services under this section shall not be liable for civil damages in their individual, governmental, corporate, or other capacities as a result of the services provided under this section to students with epilepsy or seizure disorders.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.