Education

Amends the composition of the Rhode Island school safety committee by adding an additional member who is a representative from the Rhode Island school Resource officer Association.

HB 7416 would grant automatic admission to Rhode Island's public colleges and universities (URI, RIC, CCRI) for state residents who earned the Eagle Scout rank (Scouting America) or Gold Award (Girl Scouts of the USA), starting in Fall 2026. Applicants must meet basic application requirements but won't need to satisfy competitive academic thresholds. The law explicitly excludes specialized programs like nursing or engineering from automatic admission (requiring program-specific qualifications) and clarifies it doesn't guarantee financial aid or change residency rules.

Strengthens school security measures, including the establishment of a RI school emergency response committee to develop additional recommendations for school security measures and requiring an annual school safety assessment by all school districts.

Requires the department of elementary and secondary education and DOH to adopt policies, rules and regulations for the administration of seizure rescue medications for children who have been medically identified as having epilepsy/seizure disorder.

Bars the council from granting approval to create or expand a charter school beginning operations in 26-27 school year and bars the state from approving or appropriating funds to a new charter school not approved before July 1, 2025.