S2348APublic Health

Education - The Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act

This bill requires middle and high schools to put suicide and substance abuse hotline numbers on student and staff IDs.

Introduced67 Yea0 Nay8 Not voting

Population
Affected

Introduced Jan 30, 2026Committee Senate Education

Plain-English Summary

This bill requires all middle and high schools in Rhode Island that issue student or staff identification cards to include specific crisis contact information on the back of the cards. By September 8, 2026, these ID cards must display the telephone number for a state or national suicide prevention hotline and a substance abuse crisis center. This requirement can be fulfilled by providing a single number that handles both, such as the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. The information can be printed directly on the ID cards or added using a sticker.

For younger readers

This new rule says that middle and high schools must put special phone numbers on the back of school ID cards. An ID card is a card with your picture and name on it that shows you go to that school. The phone numbers are for hotlines, which are places you can call if you are feeling very sad, having a hard time, or need help to stay safe. Teachers and staff at the school will also have these phone numbers on their ID cards. Schools have until September 2026 to do this.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Middle school studentsHigh school studentsTeachersSchool administratorsSchool custodial staff

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely. The bill regulates the content of government-issued identification cards within public schools under state jurisdiction, which falls within the state's authority to manage educational administration and public health and safety. It does not infringe on individual free speech, due process, or search and seizure rights.

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Increases access to vital mental health and substance abuse resources for adolescents, a group highly vulnerable to depression and suicide.
Normalizes seeking mental health support by placing crisis lifeline numbers on everyday items, helping to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Extends the safety net to school staff, recognizing that teachers and school employees also face significant stress and may need accessible crisis support.
Fails to provide funding for schools to implement the printing or sticker requirements, potentially straining already tight public school budgets.
Does not address the root systemic causes of youth mental health crises, such as poverty, discrimination, or a lack of accessible in-school counselors.
Only applies to schools that already issue ID cards, potentially leaving out students in underfunded districts that cannot afford to issue IDs in the first place.

For Conservatives

Utilizes a low-cost, practical solution to address a serious public health issue without creating a massive new government bureaucracy.
Empowers individuals and families to seek help voluntarily through hotlines rather than mandating new, expensive in-school psychological evaluations.
Preserves local autonomy to a degree by only applying the rule to schools that already choose to issue ID cards, rather than mandating all schools to create ID programs.
Imposes a new statewide mandate on local school districts, infringing on the ability of local communities to govern their own school policies without state interference.
May be viewed as government overreach into family matters, as some conservatives believe parents, not schools, should be the primary guides for a child's mental health resources.
Creates an additional administrative and regulatory burden on schools and staff to ensure every ID card complies with the new state requirement by the deadline.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

2 versions

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 15 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 16-21.7 of the General Laws entitled "The Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 16-21.7-5. Student identification cards.

(a) On or before September 8, 2026, all middle and high schools within and subject to the jurisdiction of the department of elementary and secondary education (“RIDE”), which issue student identification cards (“ID cards”), shall include on the back of each ID card the following:

(1) The telephone number for a state or national suicide prevention hotline; and

(2) The telephone number for a state or national substance abuse crisis center. Provided, this requirement may be met through one telephone number to a state or national organization which provides both suicide and substance abuse assistance and services, such as the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline.

(b) All middle and high schools within and subject to the jurisdiction of RIDE which issue staff ID cards to teachers, administrators, professional staff, and custodial staff working within the school or school district shall also include or affix the information required under this section to those ID cards.

(c) The information required under this section may be printed on the ID cards or contained on a sticker affixed to the ID cards.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.