§ 9-1-31. Public school teachers, supervisors, and administrators — Immunity from liability — Compensation for certain injuries — Duty upon school committees and board of regents.
(a) Each school committee and the board of regents shall protect and save harmless
(1) any public school teacher
(2) any supervisor, administrator, or licensed professional employee
(3) any employee whose position requires a certificate from the department of education or board of regents for elementary and secondary education
(4) any employee whose position directly involves work with students
(5) any employee of the board of regents
from financial loss and expense, including legal fees and costs, if any, arising out of any claim, demand, or suit for actions resulting in accidental bodily injury to or death of any person, or in accidental damage to or destruction of property, within or without the school building, or any other acts, including but not limited to infringement of any person’s civil rights, resulting in any injury, which acts are not wanton, reckless, malicious, or grossly negligent, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, provided the teacher, supervisor, or administrator, at the time of the acts resulting in the injury, death, damages, or destruction, was acting in the discharge of his or her duties or within the scope of his or her employment or under the direction of the school committee or the board of regents.
(b) For the purpose of this section, the term “teacher” shall include any student teacher doing practice teaching under the direction of a teacher employed by a school committee or the board of regents.
(c) Each school committee and the board of regents shall protect and save harmless any teacher or any supervisor or administrator from financial loss and expense, including payment of expenses reasonably incurred for medical or other service, necessary as a result of an assault upon the teacher, supervisor, or administrator while the person was acting in the discharge of his or her duties within the scope of his or her employment or under the direction of the school committee or the board of regents, which expenses are not paid by the individual teacher’s, supervisor’s, or administrator’s workers’ compensation.
(d) Any teacher, supervisor, or administrator absent from his or her employment as a result of injury sustained during an assault upon the teacher, supervisor, or administrator that occurred while the teacher, supervisor, or administrator was discharging his or her duties within the scope of his or her employment or under the direction of the school committee or the board of regents, or for a court appearance in connection with the assault, shall continue to receive his or her full salary, while so absent, except that the amount of any workers’ compensation award may be deducted from his or her salary payments during the absence. The time of the absence shall not be charged against the teacher’s, supervisor’s, or administrator’s sick leave, vacation time, or personal leave days.
(e) A person so injured in accordance with subdivision (d) above and who receives a disability therefrom, which renders them unable to fully perform their normal duties, shall, if the disability continues for a period of one year, apply to the Rhode Island employees retirement system for appropriate benefits for which that person is entitled.
History of Section.P.L. 1978, ch. 221, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 48, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 136, § 1; P.L. 1990, ch. 341, § 1; P.L. 1997, ch. 212, § 1.
Structure Rhode Island General Laws
Title 9 - Courts and Civil Procedure – Procedure Generally
Chapter 9-1 - Causes of Action
Section 9-1-1. - Action on promissory note.
Section 9-1-2. - Civil liability for crimes and offenses.
Section 9-1-2.1. - Civil liability for stalking.
Section 9-1-3. - Liability of parents for torts of minors.
Section 9-1-3.1. - Liability of parents and unemancipated minors for torts to each other.
Section 9-1-4. - Statute of frauds.
Section 9-1-5. - Liability of landlord for improvements to real estate by tenant by oral lease.
Section 9-1-6. - Causes and actions surviving death of parties.
Section 9-1-7. - Prosecution and defense of actions by executor or administrator.
Section 9-1-8. - Actual damages only to be granted after death of party.
Section 9-1-9. - Survival of actions for the recovery of possession of land.
Section 9-1-10. - Settlement of real estate title in action involving executor or administrator.
Section 9-1-11. - Survival of claims for damages in laying out of highways.
Section 9-1-12. - When action is commenced for purposes of statute of limitations.
Section 9-1-13. - Limitation of actions generally — Product liability.
Section 9-1-14. - Limitation of actions for words spoken or personal injuries.
Section 9-1-14.1. - Limitation on malpractice actions.
Section 9-1-14.2. - Limitation of “Agent Orange” or phenoxy herbicides actions.
Section 9-1-14.3. - Limitation on legal malpractice actions.
Section 9-1-14.4. - Limitations on home inspector malpractice actions.
Section 9-1-15, 9-1-16. - Repealed.
Section 9-1-17. - Limitation of actions on contracts or liabilities under seal and on judgments.
Section 9-1-18. - Effect of absence from state on limitations.
Section 9-1-19. - Disability postponing running of statute.
Section 9-1-20. - Time of accrual of concealed cause of action.
Section 9-1-21. - Effect of death of party on statute of limitations.
Section 9-1-22. - Extension of time after termination of action.
Section 9-1-23. - Effect of joinder of counts on limitation.
Section 9-1-24. - Special limitations provisions unaffected.
Section 9-1-25. - Time for bringing suit against state, political subdivision, city, or town.
Section 9-1-26. - Liability of hospitals.
Section 9-1-27. - Police and firefighters — Immunity from liability.
Section 9-1-27.1. - Good Samaritan — Immunity from liability.
Section 9-1-27.2. - Court appointed special advocate program — Immunity from liability.
Section 9-1-27.3. - Court appointed law clerk advocate program — Immunity from liability.
Section 9-1-28. - Action for unauthorized use of name, portrait, or picture.
Section 9-1-28.1. - Right to privacy — Action for deprivation of right.
Section 9-1-29. - Constructors of improvements to real property — Immunity from liability.
Section 9-1-31.1. - Members of public bodies — Exemption from liability.
Section 9-1-32. - Effect of alteration of product after sale.
Section 9-1-33. - Insurer’s bad faith refusal to pay a claim made under any insurance policy.
Section 9-1-35. - Civil action for ethnic or religious intimidation and/or vandalism.
Section 9-1-36. - Enumeration of statutes of limitation.
Section 9-1-37. - Enumeration of periods of appeal.
Section 9-1-38. - Limitation of actions for medical expenses incurred by minors.
Section 9-1-39. - Civil action for desecration.
Section 9-1-40. - Civil liability for nonpayment of accident and sickness insurance by employer.
Section 9-1-41. - Loss of consortium — Loss of society and companionship.
Section 9-1-43. - Civil action for childsnatching.
Section 9-1-44. - Civil action for release of names of minors.
Section 9-1-45. - Attorney’s fees in breach of contract actions.
Section 9-1-46. - Affirmative defense of trespasser’s intent to commit a crime.
Section 9-1-47. - Loss of homemaker services.
Section 9-1-48. - Immunity from civil liability — Sports teams.
Section 9-1-49. - Correct corporate name and registered agent — Duty to provide.
Section 9-1-50. - Settled claims not paid within thirty (30) days.
Section 9-1-51. - Limitation on actions based on sexual abuse or exploitation of a child.
Section 9-1-52. - Cause of action for next lowest bidding qualified contractor.
Section 9-1-53. - Misclassification of employees — Civil action.
Section 9-1-54. - Civil action against employer by employee under subpoena.