Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 16-21 - Health and Safety of Pupils
Section 16-21-1. - Transportation of public and private school pupils.

§ 16-21-1. Transportation of public and private school pupils.
(a) The school committee of any town or city shall provide suitable transportation, that may include, but is not limited to, pupil transportation vehicles as defined in § 31-22.1-1, to and from school for pupils attending public and private schools of elementary and high school grades, except private schools that are operated for profit, who reside so far from the public or private school that the pupil attends as to make the pupil’s regular attendance at school impractical and for any pupil whose regular attendance would otherwise be impracticable on account of physical disability or infirmity.
(1) The school committee of any town or city using a pupil transportation vehicle as defined in § 31-22.1-1 shall comply with the requirements of subsection (b) of this section, notwithstanding the provisions of § 31-22.1-3(6).
(b) For transportation provided to children enrolled in grades kindergarten through five (5), school bus monitors, other than the school bus driver, shall be required on all school-bound and home-bound routes. Variances to the requirement for a school bus monitor may be granted by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education if he or she finds that an alternative plan provides substantially equivalent safety for children. For the purposes of this section a “school bus monitor” means any person sixteen (16) years of age or older.
(c) No school committee shall negotiate, extend, or renew any transportation contract unless such contract enables the district to participate in the statewide transportation system, without penalty to the district, upon implementation of the statewide transportation system described in §§ 16-21.1-7 [repealed] and 16-21.1-8. Notice of the implementation of the statewide transportation system for in-district transportation shall be provided in writing by the department of elementary and secondary education to the superintendent of each district upon implementation. Upon implementation of the statewide system of transportation for all students, each school committee shall purchase transportation services for its own resident students by accessing the statewide system on a fee-for-service basis for each student; provided, however, that any school committee that fulfills its transportation obligations primarily through the use of district-owned buses or district employees may continue to do so. Variances to the requirement for the purchase of transportation services through the statewide transportation system for non-public and non-shared routes may be granted by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education if the commissioner finds that an alternative system is more cost effective. All fees paid for transportation services provided to students under the statewide system shall be paid into a statewide student transportation services restricted receipt account within the department of elementary and secondary education. Payments from the account shall be limited to payments to the transportation service provider and transportation system consultants. This restricted receipt account shall not be subject to the indirect cost recoveries provisions set forth in § 35-4-27.
(d) No school committee shall negotiate, extend, or renew any school transportation service contract unless the contract provides for payments to school bus drivers, attendants, monitors, and aides for one hundred and eighty (180) days or the length of the contracted-for school year, whichever is longer.
(e) With respect to any contract entered into under this section, a school committee or local education agency shall give a preference in contract and/or subcontract awards to the public transportation provider that uses electric buses to the greatest extent. This preference shall be given equal weight to any other preferences available to vendors.
(f) With respect to any contract entered into under this section, no school committee or local education agency (“LEA”) shall take any adverse disciplinary action against any school bus driver, attendant, monitor, or aide covered by a collective bargaining agreement prior to any investigation or action taken by the contracting entity as provided for in the collective bargaining agreement. Nor shall the school committee or LEA impose discipline in excess of what is provided for in the governing collective bargaining agreement.
History of Section.G.L. 1923, ch. 70, § 31; P.L. 1925, ch. 587, § 1; P.L. 1937, ch. 2506, § 1; G.L. 1938, ch. 178, § 30; G.L. 1956, § 16-21-1; P.L. 1971, ch. 270, § 1; P.L. 1986, ch. 526, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 5, art. 12, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 23, art. 8, § 2; P.L. 2017, ch. 479, § 1; P.L. 2021, ch. 292, § 1, effective July 9, 2021; P.L. 2021, ch. 293, § 1, effective July 9, 2021.

Structure Rhode Island General Laws

Rhode Island General Laws

Title 16 - Education

Chapter 16-21 - Health and Safety of Pupils

Section 16-21-1. - Transportation of public and private school pupils.

Section 16-21-1.1. - Student registration for transportation.

Section 16-21-2. - Repealed.

Section 16-21-3. - Standards for school building.

Section 16-21-3.1. - Approval.

Section 16-21-4. - Fire, evacuation and lockdown drills required — Failure to comply.

Section 16-21-5. - Uniform fire code or drill tactics — Reports.

Section 16-21-5.1. - Carbon monoxide detectors required in school buildings.

Section 16-21-6. - Repealed.

Section 16-21-7. - School health.

Section 16-21-7.1. - Unhealthy food and beverage advertising prohibited in schools.

Section 16-21-8. - Certified nurse-teacher.

Section 16-21-9. - Health examinations and dental screenings — Reports — Records.

Section 16-21-10. - Scoliosis screening.

Section 16-21-11. - Repealed.

Section 16-21-12. - Dental treatment provided by town or city.

Section 16-21-13. - Repealed.

Section 16-21-14. - Hearing, speech, and vision screenings — Records — Statewide hearing screening program.

Section 16-21-14.1. - Vision screening.

Section 16-21-15. - Eye protective devices.

Section 16-21-16. - Students suspected of narcotic addiction.

Section 16-21-17. - School bus safety programs.

Section 16-21-18. - Students prohibited from bringing or possessing firearms on school premises.

Section 16-21-19. - Special rules for students with disabilities bringing firearms to school.

Section 16-21-20. - Alternative placement and prevention activities.

Section 16-21-21. - Student discipline codes.

Section 16-21-21.1. - Penalties for drug, alcohol or weapons offenses.

Section 16-21-22. - Allergic emergencies — Anaphylaxis — Use of epinephrine — Immunity for those administering.

Section 16-21-23. - School safety teams, school crisis response teams, and school safety assessments.

Section 16-21-23.1. - Model school safety plans and checklists — Development and dissemination.

Section 16-21-23.2. - Threat assessment teams and oversight committees.

Section 16-21-24. - Requirements of school safety plans, school emergency response plans, and school crisis response plans.

Section 16-21-25. - Review of school safety plans — Exemption from open meetings and public records requirements.

Section 16-21-26. - Repealed.

Section 16-21-27. - Alternative education programs.

Section 16-21-28. - Health and wellness subcommittee.

Section 16-21-28.1. - Legislative findings.

Section 16-21-28.2. - Requirements for glucagon administration in a school setting.

Section 16-21-28.3. - Performance standards.

Section 16-21-28.4. - Immunity for those using glucagon.

Section 16-21-28.5. - Training of school personnel.

Section 16-21-28.6. - Administration.

Section 16-21-29. - Repealed.

Section 16-21-30. - Dating violence policy.

Section 16-21-31. - Notice of peanut/tree nut allergies — Posting.

Section 16-21-32. - Peanut/tree nut allergies.

Section 16-21-33. - Safe schools act.

Section 16-21-33.1. - Automatic external defibrillators.

Section 16-21-34. - Statewide bullying policy implemented.

Section 16-21-35. - Opioid-related drug overdose — Use of opioid antagonists — Immunity for those administering.

Section 16-21-36. - Duty to report — Posting child abuse hotline telephone number.

Section 16-21-37. - Water bottle filling stations in new and renovated schools.

Section 16-21-38. - Availability of feminine hygiene products.

Section 16-21-39. - Sun safety.

Section 16-21-40. - Trauma-informed schools act.

Section 16-21-41. - Trauma-informed schools act commission.