Title 16, Title 16 Title 16

The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall visit, as often as practicable, every city and town in the state, for the purpose of inspecting the schools, and diffusing as widely as possible, by public addresses and personal communications with school officers, tea…

Wherever the word “town” is used in this chapter, it shall be construed to mean “city or town.”

No person shall be employed as superintendent of schools in any city or town unless the person holds a certificate of qualification issued by or under the authority of the state board of regents for elementary and secondary education.

(a) The superintendent of schools employed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter shall, under the direction of the school committee, have the care and supervision of the public schools and shall be the chief administrative agent of the school committee. The superinten…

(a) Principals employed under this section shall be the educational administrators and managers of their schools and shall supervise the operation and management of their schools and school property, subject to the supervision and direction of the superintendent. The principal sh…

The school committee of two (2) or more cities or towns, in which the aggregate number of schools shall not be more than sixty (60), may by vote unite for the purpose of the employment of a superintendent of the schools of the several cities or towns.

The school committees of the cities or towns voting to unite for the purpose of the employment of a superintendent of the schools as prescribed in § 16-2-12, shall form a joint committee, for the purpose of this chapter; the joint committee shall be the agents of each city or tow…

(a) The school committee shall locate all schoolhouses, and shall not abandon, close, or change the location of any without good cause; and, unless provided by law, the school committee of each city or town shall have the care and control of all public school buildings and other …

The school committee of the city of Pawtucket, whenever it shall deem it necessary to abandon or close an existing school building for a period of more than six (6) months or acquire or reopen a new school building, by either the purchase or lease of real property, shall conduct …

The school committee shall make and cause to be put up in each schoolhouse rules and regulations for the attendance and classification of the pupils, for the introduction and use of textbooks and works of reference, and for the instruction, government, and discipline of the publi…

(a) Each student, staff member, teacher, and administrator has a right to attend and/or work at a school which is safe and secure, and which is conducive to learning, and which is free from the threat, actual or implied, of physical harm by a disruptive student. A disruptive stud…

Suspensions issued shall not be served out of school unless the student’s conduct meets the standards set forth in § 16-2-17(a) or the student represents a demonstrable threat to students, teachers, or administrators.

The selection of superintendent, in any city or towns that do not unite for the employment of a superintendent, and the entire care, control, and management of all the public school interests of the several cities or towns, shall be vested in the school committee of the several c…

(a) Any person seeking employment with a private school or public school department who has not previously been employed by a private school or public school department in Rhode Island during the past twelve (12) months shall undergo a national and state criminal background check…

If an applicant for employment has undergone a national and state criminal records check within twelve (12) months prior to an application for employment, the employer may request from the bureau of criminal identification or local police department a letter indicating the presen…

The commissioner of elementary and secondary education is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the intent of this chapter. These regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the rule-making provisions of chapter 35 of title 42.

(a) Any person who is a current or prospective volunteer of a private school or public school department and who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children and/or students on school premises, shall undergo a state criminal background check to be initiated prior to or w…

If a current or prospective volunteer of the school department or of a private school who may have direct and unmonitored contact with children and/or students on school premises has undergone a state criminal records check within twelve (12) months prior to commencement of volun…

Whenever the school committee of any city or town shall find that it is more convenient or expedient for any child residing in the city or town to attend school in an adjoining city or town, the committee may arrange with the school authorities of the city or town for the attenda…

(a)(1) Except as specifically provided in this section, every city or town shall establish and maintain for at least one hundred eighty (180) days annually or the equivalent thereof, exclusive of holidays, a sufficient number of schools in convenient places under the control and …

The school committee shall make provision for visitation and inspection of every public school in the city or town by the superintendent of schools or other agent of the committee at regular periods or as often as may be required for proper supervision; provided that at least onc…

(a) At least sixty (60) days, but not more than ninety (90) days, prior to the formal submission of the school budget to the appropriate city or town officials by the school committee, there shall be a joint, pre-budget meeting between the school committee and the city or town co…

(a) On or before November 1 of each year, the highest elected official of each town or city shall submit to the school committee an estimate, prepared in a manner approved by the department of administration, of projected revenues for the next three (3) fiscal years. In the case …

For the purposes of §§ 16-2-21 and 16-2-21.2, the term “town or city council” means the town or city council or other elected body charged by either local charter or public law with either preparing the budget for submission to town meeting or for final adoption of the budget. Me…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of the general or public laws to the contrary, whenever a city, town, or regional school committee determines that its budget is insufficient to comply with the provisions of § 16-2-21, 16-7-23, or 16-7-24, the city, town, or regional school comm…

Any requirement that the department of elementary and secondary education notify the local school districts of state education aid estimates prior to the submission of the governor’s budget presentation is suspended until further action by the general assembly. The department sha…

(a) Prior to executing any collective bargaining agreement between a school committee and representatives of teachers and/or other school employees, the school committee in any municipality, or regional school district with an elected school committee, or the chief executive offi…

The school committee, in the interval between the close of the city or town fiscal year and the making of the annual appropriations for the support of public schools, may expend for public school purposes the unexpended balance remaining in the treasury from the school appropriat…

The state board of regents for elementary and secondary education may make or cause to be made a survey of the public schools of any city or town, and shall make the survey upon the request of the school committee of any city or town; provided, that the school committee shall sha…

In the cities of Providence and Cranston the school committee of each city shall employ the superintendent and teachers, have charge and custody of all school buildings and school property, manage and regulate the schools, and draw all orders for the payment of their expenses fro…

Except as provided in this section, the provisions of this chapter are subject to the provisions of any special statutes respecting any particular city or town, none of which are repealed by this chapter.

Every child who has attained, or will have attained, five (5) years of age on or before September 1 of any school year shall be eligible to attend kindergarten during all the days that the kindergartens are in session during the school year. Every child who has attained, or will …

The commissioner of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate regulations, including criteria for eligibility for waiver, pertaining to § 16-2-28 [repealed].

All public and private schools that provide multiple kindergarten sessions shall make every effort to give written notice to parents, thirty (30) days before the start of the school year, which kindergarten session their child has been placed.

In the event of any emergency brought about by the incidence of any epidemic or the threat of an epidemic or any emergency which may endanger the health of children or the physical well being of the community, the school committee of any city or town with the approval of the boar…

All municipal school systems in this state shall make available, in their school lunch programs, low fat fortified milk with a milk fat content of one percent (1%) or less.

All municipal school systems in this state shall provide flags, belts, apparel, and devices to children acting in the capacity of school crossing guards, and this equipment shall be made from retro-reflective and/or fluorescent materials visible both day and night at three hundre…

(a) All school committees in the state will have a policy manual. The policy manual will have all school committee policies in writing, properly indexed, and kept up to date. The policy manuals will be a source used to govern each school system. Regularly updated policy manuals s…

The city council of the city of Woonsocket shall appropriate a sum certain and annually determine salaries for the chairperson and members of the school committee for the city of Woonsocket.

The Woonsocket school committee, in conjunction with the superintendent, may adopt a school dress code for Woonsocket elementary, middle and high school students; provided, that: (1) the principal, staff and parents have had an opportunity to offer suggestions and comments; (2) t…

The Central Falls school district governing board, in conjunction with the superintendent, may adopt a school dress code for Central Falls primary, elementary, junior, and senior high school students; provided that: (1) The principal, staff, and parents have had an opportunity to…

(a) There is hereby established a seven (7) member board of trustees, which shall govern the Central Falls School District. With the exception of those powers and duties reserved by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, and the board of regents for elementary an…

(a) The school committee of the town of Middletown shall be authorized to adopt by resolution the Middletown public schools sponsorship program (the “program”). The purpose of said program shall be to provide funding to aid the Middletown school district in maintaining its curren…

All public schools shall, prior to September 1 of each year, make every effort to provide written notice to parents, guardians, or caretakers of students inviting those parents, guardians, or caretakers to attend orientation at the school within thirty (30) days from the start of…

When a school committee, by its policies, provides for excused absences from attendance in school, for participation in a sport or any other extracurricular activity, that policy shall be amended and deemed to also include an excused absence from attendance in school for attendin…

The school committee of each city or town shall consist of three (3) residents of the city or town, or of any number as at the present time constitute the committee. In cities or towns having annual elections of city or town officers the committee shall be divided as equally as m…