2026 -- H 7003

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LC003202

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

     Introduced By: Representatives McNamara, Shekarchi, Ackerman, Casey, Solomon,
Morales, Paplauskas, Hopkins, Fascia, and Boylan

     Date Introduced: January 07, 2026

     Referred To: House Education

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     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.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS

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     This act would direct the department of elementary and secondary education, in

conjunction with the Rhode Island interscholastic league, to promulgate rules and regulations to

address, minimize, and establish an anti-hazing policy for acts of hazing in student athletics.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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