EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS, the official text

S3010 2026 -- S 3010 ======== LC005533 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS Introduced By: Senators Valverde, DiPalma, DiMario, Mack, Zurier, McKenney, Murray, Lauria, and Thompson Date Introduced: March 05, 2026 Referred To: Senate Education It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 16-21 of the General Laws entitled Health and Safety of Pupils is 2 hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 3 16-21-44. Termination for cause -- Non-teacher employees -- List maintained. 4 (a) Whenever a non-teacher employee’s employment with a school is terminated for good 5 and just cause by a principal, superintendent, school committee or other governing body of a public 6 school, a private school, a school district, a charter public school, or a mayoral academy (hereinafter 7 collectively referred to as a “school”), the school’s governing body shall, within sixty (60) days of 8 the termination, or in cases where the termination is appealed, within sixty (60) days after the 9 conclusion of the appeal filed by the terminated non-teacher employee, and the termination is 10 upheld, furnish the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education (the 11 “department”) with the identity of the terminated non-teacher employee and the good and just cause 12 for the termination. Provided, this section shall not apply to: 13 (1) The nonrenewal of a contract of a non-teacher employee without cause or unrelated to 14 misconduct or performance; or 15 (2) The termination of a non-teacher employee due to fiscal exigency or program 16 reorganization. 17 (b) The department shall maintain a list of those non-teacher employees who have been 18 terminated for good and just cause as well as the good and just cause for the termination (the “list”), 19 and shall update the list monthly to include any additional names and cause submitted pursuant to 1 the provisions of this section. The department shall establish a tracking system for reporting these 2 names and causes, as well as to provide access to these names and causes, to hiring authorities. 3 This list shall be accessible only to the hiring authority of any private, parochial, charter, or public 4 school or school district. 5 (c) The list shall not be a public record pursuant to chapter 2 of title 38 ( access to public 6 records ). This section shall not abrogate or modify any existing statutory or common law 7 privileges or immunities. 8 (d) As used herein, the term “non-teacher employee” means any person working within or 9 for a school whose employment with the school is not subject to the provisions of chapter 13 of 10 title 16. 11 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. ======== LC005533 ======== LC005533 - Page 2 of 3 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS *** 1 This act would require that the names of any non-teacher school employees who are 2 terminated for good and just cause, be furnished to the Rhode Island department of elementary and 3 secondary education. The department would maintain a list of the names and the good cause for 4 the termination. This list would not be a public document, but would be available to hiring 5 authorities of schools and school districts. 6 This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC005533 ======== LC005533 - Page 3 of 3