Legislation History

Here is a summary of the legislation that has potentially impacted not only our Counselors Not Cops campaign, but the youth who attend Providence Public Schools and other high schools in Rhode Island.

House Bill #H8334

  • Proposed on June 11th, 2022 by Reps Vella-Wilkinson, Williams, Casimiro, Fenton-Fung, C Lima, Serpa, O'Brien, Noret, Solomon, and Casey, House Bill #H8334 was presented to establish the “School Mental Health Act of 2022”. Would require schools to “conduct a site assessment and work with their local law enforcement agency to develop security plans to identify existing vulnerabilities and enhance overall school security.” For more of the bill’s requirements, please open the impact section.

  • Based off of the direct document posted, this bill also called for the requirement of:

    Teacher trainings, parent meetings, and community focus groups to “build awareness of the problems being targeted and their impact on students.”

    A response to when a full time school clinician is not an available resource. By having partnerships between mental health/community agencies being explored.

    Multi-lingual parent training and handouts on “how to discuss mental health issues such as bullying and suicidal thoughts with their children.”

    The establishment of a “state youth advisory council”, which will “pair formerly justice-involved young people with municipal and state officials over an eight (8) week period” to “work to develop joint policy proposals on issues affecting young people, such as coping with trauma, school discipline, and racial and gender inequity.”

House Bill #H8333

  • Proposed on June 9th, 2022, by Reps Vella-Wilkinson, McLaughlin, Williams, Casimiro, C Lima, Serpa, O'Brien, Noret, Solomon, Casey, House Bill #H8333 was presented to establish the addition to the “Health and Safety of Pupils” chapter within the General Laws. This bill would make it justifiable for student’s privacy to be policed at a higher extent.

  • The additions made within this bill expanded upon Providence Public School security are as follows:

    Would require the issuance of photo ID to be “displayed at all times” by students, faculty, staff, and volunteers.

    Would require “uniforms or restricted dress code of prescribed colored shirts and pants” to allow for “an intruder to be more easily recognizable.”

    Would require “video monitoring systems” for “visitor control management”, as well as visitor escorts and inspection of “bags/boxes.”

    Would require faculty, staff, or volunteers to be assigned to every “point of access or egress to the outside school grounds at any time the students are entering/leaving the building.”

    Would require installation of “video monitoring systems.”

    Would require students to use “transparent school bags, backpacks or cases.”

    Would prevent students from “wearing overly baggy clothes.”

    Would allow for random locker searches while students are in class, as well as periodic searches of school bathrooms for “hidden contraband.”

    Would require the institution of “random metal detector checks.”

    Would require “trained police K-9s” to “periodically inspect schools, including restrooms, to check for firearms, incendiary devices and other contraband.”

  • The PASS coalition and community supporters believed this bill’s addition of policing to be intrusive to the public school students, and would violate their rights to privacy and safety within the school system.

House Bill #H8329

  • Proposed on June 8th, 2022, by Reps Price, Noret, Roberts, Quattrocchi, O'Brien, Shanley, Newberry, Nardone, Fenton-Fung, Hull, House Bill #H8329 was presented to establish the addition to the “Health and Safety of Pupils” chapter within the General Laws. This bill would up the policing within schools, making the environment severely uncomfortable for students.

  • The additions made within this bill expanded upon Providence Public School security required the following:

    A SRO or security personnel at every entrance of a school building at all pre-K through 12 schools in RI.

    The locking of exterior doors after student arrival; visitation only after valid ID and stated purpose of entry; and visitation only through outside door buzz-in system.

    Security cameras at every school entrance as well as on the perimeter of school property.

  • The PASS Coalition, students, and family supporters were outraged with the additions of laws formed by this bill. We proceeded to write the following statement within our community response to this bill:

    “As parents, youth, and community members deeply concerned for our children’s safety, we are deeply troubled by the surveillance measures put forth by House Bill 8329, which are proven to be not only ineffective, but endanger our youth, lower rates of academic achievement, and detracts needed funding from programs and facilities that actually protect and help students.

    First, we want to acknowledge that the events of this past month have sparked real fears about the safety of our children. We, too, are afraid. But at the same time, we are also afraid that the growing calls for increased policing and surveillance will cause more harm than good. Years of research and multiple studies show that police do not prevent school shootings (rather, more people die when an officer is present at a shooting than when there isn't), and more than that, put our youth at risk of mental and physical harm. This, alone, is enough to question the bill’s effectiveness, as it calls for “a school resource officer or security personnel, armed or unarmed, at every entrance of the school building.’ ”

House Bill #H8318

  • Proposed on June 3rd, 2022, by Reps Biah, Fenton-Fung, Shanley, O'Brien, Hawkins, Cardillo, Phillips, Casey, Baginski, and Noret, House Bill #H8318 was presented to approach the Weapons chapter of the General Laws, sourced by the House of Finance. This bill called for additional policing within RI Public schools. As well as $500,000 additional funding towards our police district.

  • The House Bill includes but is not limited to:

    The establishment of a “Rhode Island emergency response committee” who “shall facilitate providing armed security personnel and security for all kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) schools along with additional security devices and plans.”

    The committee would be charged with creating a five year plan to include school security measures such as “surveillance and camera systems” and “the mandating and scheduling of armed police coverage for schools.”

    This police coverage will be coordinated between state and local police.

    The state budget shall include a yearly sum of $500,000 for this armed police coverage.

    Would require a “rapid response team/SWAT team” for each municipal police department “whose principal function shall include, but not be limited to, active shooter training, sniper training, and securing SWAT team equipment and body armor.”

  • The PASS Coalition, students, and family supporters were outraged with the additions of laws formed by this bill. We proceeded to write the following statement within our community response to this bill:

    “We, the parents, youth, educators, and community organizations signed below, thoroughly condemn House Bill 8318 for recklessly endangering Providence children in the interest of appeasing pro-gun lobbyists and generating profits for institutionalized policing.

    HB8318 would enable the (mis)direction of funding into the “provi[sions] of armed security personnel and security for all kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) schools along with additional security devices and plans,” as well as the implementation of “armed police coverage for schools.” This waste of resources alone would be enough grounds to reject the bill, given the lack of evidence to show that these policing apparatuses are effective at keeping students safe. It seems especially ill-informed given the tragedy in Uvalde, which had invested $435,270 on security and monitoring services for schools this year alone, alongside another $69,000 in 2020. If we already know from history – especially very recent history – that these expenditures are ineffective, it is blatantly unwise (mis)use our resources in this way. More than that, it is both dangerous and harmful when so much of our basic infrastructure – water fountains, floors, ceilings, and other facilities that actually keep our students healthy and safe – remain underfunded.

    Beyond just a waste of funds, this bill will actively harm our youth – especially B/I/POC, LGBTQ+, and/or disabled youth who are disproportionately targeted (and often assaulted) by school officers.”

Nathanael Greene Walk Out

  • On May 26th, 2022, an unloaded gun was [reportedly] found in a middle schooler’s backpack at Nathanael Greene Middle School in Providence, prompting a school lockdown. Instead of immediately calling the police, the principal opted to launch an internal investigation.

    Mayor Elorza, together with the chief of police, called a “community meeting” to discuss the incident – in which he explicitly criticized the failure to involve the police as a “protocol violation.” The incident was then misrepresented in order to further a pro-SRO agenda.

  • Fear-mongering tactics were used to rile up the parents there. Because of this, there was a budding pro-SRO movement and several demonstrations planned, one of which is on the following Monday.

    This incident drove to the legislation below, of House Bill #H8310.

House Bill #H8310

  • This year, one of the highlighted bills for our coalition was presented on June 2nd, 2022, with a hearing date scheduled on June 11th, 2022. This House Bill, H8310, was sponsored by Reps Biah, Fenton-Fung, Shanley, O'Brien, Hawkins, Cardillo, Phillips, Casey, Baginski, and Noret. This bill called for state funding towards School Resource Officers within Rhode Island Public Schools, as well as the implementation of at least 2 SROs minimum. Those who believed in the implementation of the following proposals, which include but aren’t limited to:

    The provision of state funding for SROs in public schools in RI, mandating the placement of a minimum of 2 SROs at every public school in RI by July 1, 2022.

    SROs would receive “standardized training at a central location.”

  • Those who believed in the implementation of the following proposals, which include but aren’t limited to:

    The provision of state funding for SROs in public schools in RI, mandating the placement of a minimum of 2 SROs at every public school in RI by July 1, 2022.

    SROs would receive “standardized training at a central location.”

  • The PASS Coalition, students, and family supporters acknowledge the harm that this bill would bring into our public school system, and mobilized teachers, students, and community organizers to show up in numbers to the hearing at the Rhode Island State House on June 11th, 2022. Alongside our public presence, a community statement was written and signed by fellow non-profit organizations, and states the following:

    “As parents, youth, and community members [we are] deeply concerned for our children’s safety. We are deeply troubled by House Bill 8310, which calls for “​​two (2) school resource officers [to be] placed at every public school in the State of Rhode Island.” This bill denies the years of research showing that SROs not only fail to keep our students safe, but actively harm and endanger them.

    School shootings aside, school resource officers put our youth at significant risk on a day-to-day basis. The evidence shows that police, both in Providence and the U.S. widely, disproportionately criminalize Black, Indigenous, Latinx and students of color, as well as differently abled students. In Providence schools alone, there were over 230 arrests between the 2016-17 and 2019-20 school years, 65% of whom were boys of color. Meanwhile, Black students were targeted in 30% of all student arrests, while only making up 16% of the student population. There is no evidence that SROs improve student safety. Instead research shows that the majority of students feel unsafe with SROs. At the worst extreme, the police are known to physically traumatize students – in the US, there have been 152 documented assaults on students of color by police officers between 2007-2021.”

Senate Bill #S2440

  • Proposed on June 3rd, 2022, by Senators Cano, DiMario, Lawson, DiPalma, Quezada, and Valverde, Senate Bill #S2440 calls for state provided funding towards mental health services. This will be accomplished by hiring certified mental and behavioral health professionals, that includes but isn’t limited to: certified school psychologists, certified social workers, and certified counselors. The bill was implemented after July 1st, 2022 within elementary and secondary educational schools.

  • The Proposals of this bill includes but is not limited to:

    State support for school-based mental and behavioral health services.

    For a period of three (3) years, local education agencies (LEAs) shall receive direct state support for costs associated with hiring mental and behavioral health professionals certified by the department of elementary and secondary education, including, but not limited to, certified school psychologists, certified social workers, or certified counselors. After accounting for any federal funds or federal, state or local grants received toward the costs associated with such a position, LEAs shall be reimbursed an amount equal to one-half of the cost of salaries and benefits that remain the LEA's responsibility.

    (2) Funding shall be provided for mental or behavioral health professional positions established on or after July 1, 2022, provided that:

    (i) Schools choosing to hire certified social workers under this provision shall maintain a ratio of no greater than two hundred fifty (250) students to one social worker

    (ii) Schools choosing to hire certified school psychologists under this provision shall maintain a ratio of no greater than seven hundred (700) students to one school psychologist, and

    (iii) Schools choosing to hire certified school counselors under this provision shall maintain a ratio of no greater than two hundred fifty (250) students to one counselor

  • The Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education Justice (ARISE) stands in full support of Senate Bill #S2440, which proposes to provide state funding for mental and behavioral health services. Our current disciplinary systems, which rely overwhelmingly on punitive measures, act to criminalize, alienate, and dehumanize our children, rather than provide them with the resources to navigate the roots of their frustrations. When our youth act out of hurt and anger, it is our responsibility to provide them with guidance, care, and restorative justice. Under this status quo, students learn to perceive school – instead of a place to grow and learn – as hostile, unsafe, and threatening. This is especially true for Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, who are disproportionately targeted by these systems. We believe that the increase in and redirection of resources toward mental health professionals is both necessary and long overdue. The increase in mental health resources – which our schools, at this time, severely lack – will not only make school a safe space for our students, but allow us to nurture a crucial, life-giving love of learning. As such, we stand with and for our youth in calling on this bill to pass.

House Bill #H7485

  • Proposed on June 8th, 2022, by Representatives O'Brien, Solomon, Hull, Vella-Wilkinson, Cardillo, and Noret, House Bill #H7485 was presented to establish the addition to the “The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act” chapter within the General Laws. Within this bill, there is a call for the implementation of permanent state funding directed to School Resource Officers distributed amongst Rhode Island middle school and high schools.

  • The Proposals of this bill includes but is not limited to:

    Funding will be provided for school resource officer positions established on or after July 1, 2018, provided that:

    (1) Each school resource officer shall be assigned to one school:

    (i) Schools with enrollments below one thousand twelve hundred (1,200) students shall require one school resource officer;

    (ii) Schools with enrollments of one thousand twelve hundred (1,200) or more students shall require two school resource officers

  • The Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education Justice (ARISE) stands firmly against the proposal of House Bill 7485, which proposes to provide permanent state funding for school resource officers (SROs). The presence of law enforcement officers in our schools puts all students – especially those that are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) – at significant risk of harm. Minor infractions that are normally handled by educators are defaulted to the police. This system of criminalization leads to suspensions, arrests, and abuses of power, which are both detrimental to their futures and deeply traumatizing. By guaranteeing funding for SROs, this bill not only protects and solidifies existing systems of racialized harm – contradicting its own claim to prioritize the “safety and security of all persons in public schools” – but prevents us from redirecting critical resources to the social workers and counselors that actually keep our students safe.

    The evidence shows that police, both in Providence and the U.S. widely, disproportionately criminalize Black, Indigenous, Latinx and students of color, as well as students with disabilities. In Providence schools alone, there were over 230 arrests between the 2016-17 and 2019-20 school years, 65% of whom were boys of color. Meanwhile, Black students were targeted by 30% of all student arrests, while only making up 16% of the student population. There is no evidence that SROs improve student safety. Instead research shows that the majority of students feel unsafe with SROs. At the worst extreme, the police are known to physically traumatize students – in the US, there have been 152 documented assaults on students of color by police officers between 2007-2021.

Jay Juan Incident

  • On February 1, 2022, a 16 year old student at Mount Pleasant High was physically assaulted by a school resource officer, arrested, and taken to the police station without justification. He was held in custody for a total of 20 hours. For the first five hours in the custody of Providence police he was barred from contacting his family, getting medical care or speaking with his attorneys. Video footage shows Jay-Juan, the student, being body slammed, choked, and restrained by Officer Leonel Pichs despite having fallen unconscious. Another student – 17 years old – attempted to protect Jay from the officer, and was subsequently also arrested. Mount Pleasant High then neglected to notify Jay’s mother of the arrest, leaving her to find out through a call from Jay’s classmate. It took three days for anyone from the school or the School Department to contact either Jay or Jay’s guardians. School personnel still have offered no explanation as to why Jay was forcibly removed from the school and taken to the police station without his family ever being notified. The police claimed that Jay was arrested for a school fight, but this was then disputed by student eye-witnesses who denied that there was ever a fight. The police then changed their story, claiming that Jay was arrested under the suspicion of being involved in illegal activity. Regardless of what Jay did or didn’t do, any violence inflicted against a minor by the hands of a police officer or school authority is completely unacceptable. Since then, Jay has been returned home and placed under house arrest. He and his family face the added stress of surveillance by unidentified Providence police parked outside of the home, which has continued to make them feel unsafe.

  • While the damage that has been done is irreversible, there are a number of steps the school, police department, and district must take to minimize harm and acknowledge accountability for what happened.

    In the immediate aftermath of this incident, we ask the community to stand with Jay, Jay’s family, the students and families of Mount Pleasant and all victims of state sponsored violence in demanding that:

    1.Officer Leonel Pichs be suspended and permanently removed from the Providence Public Schools immediately if he has not already been. This is not the first time Pichs has abused his position: from 2017-2020, Pichs has been responsible for 43 out of 50 student arrests at Mount Pleasant.

    2. All charges against Jay-Juan be dropped.

    3. Jay-Juan be allowed to attend a school that isn’t Mount Pleasant; until an ideal placement can be found for him, transfer to another school should be expedited and, if necessary, learning should be conducted virtually.

    4. Jay Juan must be allowed to leave the home independently and without a curfew.

    5. All School Resource Officers be removed from Providence schools, so as to create a safe environment for our students and to avoid the re-traumatization of youth familiar with state violence.

    6. Mount Pleasant be held accountable for this gross violation of student rights and of the district’s own SRO policies.

    7. All PPSD schools re-commit to follow district policy and notify parents/guardians when their child is being subject to any disciplinary action.