H 7526School Safety

Education - Health and Safety of Pupils - Student and Teacher Classroom Safety

Allows teachers to remove dangerous or chronically disruptive students and creates a strict process for their return to class.

Held for study

Population
Affected

Email Legislator

Introduced Feb 6, 2026Committee House Education

Plain-English Summary

This legislation establishes a standardized process for teachers to remove students from the classroom who are chronically disruptive or pose an immediate safety threat. It defines specific criteria for removal, prohibiting such actions for minor behaviors like tardiness. The bill mandates the creation of a "return-to-classroom" plan involving the principal and teacher before a student can return. If a teacher objects to the return, a review committee must decide the outcome. It also requires school districts to report data on these removals and protects teachers from retaliation for utilizing this process.

For younger readers

This new rule helps keep classrooms safe and quiet for learning. If a student is acting very badly, hurting others, or won't let the teacher teach after being asked to stop many times, the teacher can send them to the principal's office. Before that student can come back, the principal and teacher must make a plan to help them behave better. If the teacher thinks it is still not safe, a group of adults at the school will decide what is best. This makes sure everyone can learn without being interrupted or scared.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

TeachersStudentsSchool AdministratorsParentsSpecial Education Students

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Mandates disaggregated data reporting on classroom removals by race, gender, and disability status, which helps identify and address systemic biases in school discipline practices.
Explicitly reinforces protections for students with disabilities under federal laws like IDEA and Section 504, ensuring that behavioral interventions do not violate their civil rights or access to education.
Prioritizes the collective welfare of the classroom community by ensuring that the learning environment remains safe and focused for the majority of students, reinforcing the right to a quality education.
Expands the use of exclusionary discipline practices, which research suggests often disproportionately targets students of color and can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline.
Relies on definitions of "disruptive behavior" that, while defined, remain somewhat subjective, potentially allowing implicit bias to influence which students are removed from the classroom.
May isolate vulnerable students by removing them from their peer group and standard learning environment rather than keeping them in the classroom with restorative justice support and conflict resolution.

For Conservatives

Empowers classroom teachers with the direct authority to remove chronically disruptive students, helping to restore order, discipline, and respect for authority in the learning environment.
Protects the educational rights of students who follow the rules by removing those who prevent others from learning, ensuring resources are not monopolized by disruptive behavior.
Provides legal protection for teachers against retaliation or disciplinary action from administrators when they act in good faith to maintain classroom safety.
Imposes new administrative burdens and bureaucracy on schools by requiring specific committees, written plans, and consultation processes for every student removal incident.
Mandates state-level reporting of discipline data to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, increasing government oversight and paperwork for local school districts.
Interferes with local control by dictating specific discipline policies and deadlines to school boards rather than letting towns manage their own schools and personnel issues.

Votes

Loading votes...

Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 60 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. Student and teacher classroom safety.

(a) Definitions. For purposes of this section:

(1) “Disruptive behavior” means behavior that materially and substantially interferes with a teacher’s ability to supervise, instruct, or maintain order in the classroom, or that impedes other students’ ability to engage in focused, rigorous classroom learning.

(2) “Chronically disruptive student” means a student who engages in conduct that is so unruly, abusive, or disruptive that it severely impairs the classroom learning environment or threatens the educational opportunity of other students, and who has engaged in such disruptive behavior on three (3) or more documented occasions during a school term.

(3) “Removal” means the transfer of a student from the classroom by a teacher or other instructional staff member, due to behavior that meets the criteria in subsection (b) of this section, to the principal’s office or an alternative instructional setting where the student continues to receive educational services and appropriate behavioral support, consistent with this section.

(4) “Return-to-classroom plan” means a written plan developed by the school principal or designee, with input from the relevant classroom teacher and other appropriate school personnel, to support the student’s safe and productive return to the classroom environment.

(5) “Immediate threat” means behavior that poses an imminent danger to the safety of students or staff within the classroom.

(b) Authority to remove a student from the classroom.

(1) A teacher may initiate the removal of a student from the classroom if the student:

(i) Is chronically disruptive despite documented interventions; or

(ii) Commits an act that poses an immediate threat to the physical safety of others in the classroom.

(2) Teachers shall not remove students for minor, non-disruptive behavior, such as tardiness or minor classroom rule violations. Student removals shall be consistent with the school district’s student disciple code, as required by § 16-21-21.

(3) The teacher shall document the removal using the school district’s existing procedures or reporting platform and shall notify the principal or designee by the end of the school day.

(1) The principal or designee shall review the incident within one school day and notify the student’s parent or guardian within twenty-four (24) hours.

(2) The student shall not return to the classroom from which the student was removed until:

(i) A return-to-classroom plan is developed by the principal or designee addressing behavior expectations and support strategies; and

(ii) The classroom teacher is consulted.

(3) If the teacher objects to the student’s return to classroom plan, the principal shall convene a review committee consisting of:

(i) One school administrator;

(ii) One certified teacher not involved in the incident; and

(iii) One counselor, behavior specialist, or school psychologist.

(4) The committee shall determine whether the student shall return to the classroom or be placed in an alternative instructional setting and shall document the committee's findings.

(d) Student protections.

(1) If the removal results in suspension from school, the provisions of § 16-2-17 shall apply.

(2) Students with disabilities shall be afforded all rights and protections required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701 and all applicable state special education regulations.

(e) School district responsibilities.

(1) Each school district shall adopt policies consistent with this section no later than October 1, 2026.

(2) Each district shall report annually to the department of elementary and secondary education (RIDE):

(i) The number of classroom removals to the principal’s office, alternative instructional placements, return-to-classroom plans; and

(ii) Data disaggregated by race, gender, grade level, and disability status.

(f) Protections for educators and staff.

(1) A teacher or school employee acting in good faith and in accordance with this section shall not be subject to disciplinary action or retaliation.

(2) Nothing herein shall supersede any right conferred under an applicable collective bargaining agreement.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.