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S 2210School Safety

Education - School Trauma Kit Act

Schools must have trauma kits and trained staff present at events; the bill offers liability protection for emergency responders.

Held for study
Population
Affected
75
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 23, 2026Committee Senate Education

Plain-English Summary

This legislation requires all public and private elementary and secondary schools in Rhode Island to maintain trauma kits containing specific medical supplies like tourniquets and bleeding control bandages. The bill mandates that whenever school facilities are used for curricular or extracurricular activities, or during athletic contests, a person trained in first aid and the use of these kits must be present. It also establishes immunity from civil liability for trained individuals, property owners, and equipment owners who provide emergency assistance using these kits, provided they do not act with gross negligence.

For younger readers

This new rule says that every school must have special first aid boxes called "trauma kits." These kits have important tools like bandages and scissors to help someone if they are hurt and bleeding very badly. Whenever there is a sports game or a school activity, there must be an adult nearby who knows how to use the kit to help. The rule also makes sure that the people who try to help fix an injury won't get in trouble if they make a mistake while trying to save someone.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
StudentsSchool AdministratorsTeachersParentsSchool Staff
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

The bill mandates operational requirements for private religious and secular schools. While states have broad police powers to regulate for health and safety, strict mandates on private institutions can occasionally raise due process or religious freedom claims if the burden is excessive. However, as a life-saving safety measure, it is likely to withstand scrutiny.

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Enhances the physical safety and welfare of students and staff in both public and private schools by ensuring life-saving equipment is immediately available during emergencies.
  • Mandates that trained personnel be present at school events, ensuring a higher standard of care and community responsibility during extracurricular activities.
  • Allows schools to accept funding from nonprofits and grants, potentially alleviating the financial burden on underfunded public school districts while maintaining safety standards.
  • Creates a potential unfunded mandate ensuring that while schools can accept grants, they are not guaranteed state funding, which may disproportionately strain budget-strapped public schools in low-income areas.
  • Normalizes the expectation of severe physical trauma and violence in educational settings rather than focusing legislative energy on systemic reforms to prevent such violence.
  • Provides broad civil immunity to property owners and equipment owners, which could limit the ability of victims to seek justice if the equipment provided is defective or poorly maintained.
For Conservatives
  • Provides strong liability protections for property owners, equipment owners, and trained volunteers, preventing frivolous lawsuits against those attempting to save lives.
  • Encourages the use of private funding, grants, and nonprofit donations to purchase equipment, reducing the reliance on taxpayer dollars to implement the mandate.
  • Enhances security and preparedness in schools without infringing on Second Amendment rights or imposing restrictions on law-abiding citizens.
  • Imposes government mandates on private and religious schools, forcing them to comply with state regulations regarding equipment and staffing presence.
  • Expands the regulatory authority of the Department of Education and Department of Health to dictate specific supplies and training standards.
  • Creates a staffing burden by requiring a specifically trained individual to be present at every single school-sponsored athletic contest or extracurricular activity.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 35 additions

SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 16-91.2-1. Trauma kits in educational settings.

(a) Every public and private elementary and secondary school within the State of Rhode Island shall provide and maintain clearly visible and easily accessible trauma kits as described in subsection (b) of this section. The quantity and type of trauma kits shall be determined by the commissioner of education, in consultation with the director of the department of health, after due consideration of trauma-type first aid kits recommended by the Department of Homeland Security, and shall be adequate to ensure ready and appropriate access for use during emergencies.

(b) Each trauma kit shall include at a minimum the following supplies: tourniquet; gloves and marker; scissors; instructions; compression bandages; and bleeding control bandages and any other supplies determined necessary by the director pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.

(c) Whenever school facilities are used for school-sponsored or school-approved curricular or extracurricular activities, and whenever a school-sponsored athletic contest is held at any location, the school officials and administrators responsible for the school facility or athletic contest shall ensure the presence of at least one person who is properly trained in the administration of first aid and use of the trauma kit.

(d) No person, whether acting in an official capacity or as a private volunteer, who gratuitously renders emergency assistance to a person who experiences a traumatic bleeding injury, shall be liable for civil damages for any personal injuries which result from acts or omissions by the person rendering the emergency care, which may constitute ordinary negligence; provided, however that, this immunity applies only to:

(1) Persons who have been trained in accordance with standards promulgated by the US Department of Homeland Security or the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) or an equivalent program as approved by the department of health;

(2) Persons providing approved training in traumatic bleeding injuries;

(3) Property lessees and owners where the emergency assistance occurs; and

(4) The owners of the actual life-saving equipment.

(e) Immunity from civil liability pursuant to the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, shall not extend or apply to acts or omissions constituting intentional harm or willful, wanton or gross negligence.

(f) The director of the department of health is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section.

(g) Any elementary or secondary school may accept funding for the trauma kits from grants, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, parent-teacher organizations, private parties and government entities.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2028.