Rhode Island school drill law

What drills does Rhode Island require?

Rhode Island law requires the principal or person in charge of every public or private school with more than 25 pupils to train pupils by means of drills. School buildings must hold at least one emergency egress (evacuation) drill every month the building is in session, with all occupants of the building taking part. Schools must also hold two lockdown drills.

Public and private schools that run a residence facility must hold at least four drills or rapid dismissals each academic year for each building or residence facility, at least two of them between September and December. The remaining two must be held between January and June. At least one of those drills must be obstructed, with at least one exit or stairway blocked off or not used. A residence facility is a dormitory or other residence hall, on or off campus, owned or leased by a public or private school with room for 20 or more students. Rhode Island's Fire Safety Code is made up of chapters 28.1 to 28.39 of Title 23 and the codes adopted under them. It has its own school drill section, § 23-28.12-36, which also requires K-12 school buildings to hold at least one emergency egress drill every month the building is in session, with all occupants taking part. Under that section, evacuation drills are designed for when conditions outside the school building are safer than inside. This page does not say which section controls if § 16-21-4 and § 23-28.12-36 point different ways; that reading belongs to your district's counsel. Separately, Rhode Island's Life Safety Code rule adopts the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, 2021 edition, as the Rhode Island Life Safety Code. Under NFPA 101 (2021), which Rhode Island adopts in 450-RICR-00-00-8, existing school buildings must hold at least one emergency egress drill every month they're in session, unless two conditions set out in the code are both met. NFPA 101 (2021) also requires one extra egress drill within the first 30 days of operation, except at schools open year-round. Where the authority having jurisdiction (the official who enforces the code) permits it, up to two of the NFPA 101 egress drills may instead be alternative drills for targeted violence or natural hazard events. This is allowed, not required.

What are the timing and drill-design rules?

One lockdown drill is held in September and one in January, together with local police whenever possible. Lockdown drills may be announced in advance if the school administrator chooses. At least one in every four egress drills or rapid dismissals must be obstructed, meaning at least one exit or stairway is blocked off or not used. An administrator may replace one fire drill with an evacuation drill for explosive hazards, such as a bomb threat or gas leak. This is allowed, not required. School safety plans must include procedures for students and staff to prepare for and take part in emergency drills. School emergency response plans must include procedures for drills and other exercises that test the plan.

What records and reports are required?

A written report of each fire drill, on forms from RIDE (the state education department), must be completed right after the drill and kept available for fire officials to review. The law provides for forms for reporting drills to the local fire department and to the department or office named in the law. Fire officials may require a fire drill to be held while they are present. Failing to follow the drill section is a misdemeanor (a minor criminal offense) with a fine of up to $500.

Do parents get notice?

Each September, schools must give parents or guardians a written overview of all emergency drills training, with a description of each drill.

What limits apply to realistic drills?

Emergency drills must be age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate, and must involve all school staff, including school-based mental health professionals and substitute teachers. School officials must work toward and use trauma-informed practices in drills wherever possible. Administrators and school support staff may modify an emergency drill for a student when they decide it is appropriate. Students, teachers and staff may not be required to take part in active shooter simulations. The law defines an active shooter simulation to include real or simulated weapons, gunfire, imaginary fatalities, or simulated blood or casualties. Law enforcement may run active shooter simulations, including simulated gunfire drills, only on days when students are not present.

Who is covered?

The duty to train pupils by drills covers every public or private school in Rhode Island with more than 25 pupils. Charter schools are covered too. The drill section, § 16-21-4, is on the list of provisions that bind district charter schools and cannot be waived by the commissioner. The same goes for independent charter schools and for mayoral academies.

What changed recently?

The School Emergency Drills Act was enacted June 17, 2024, as H 8102 Sub A (P.L. 2024, ch. 174). Its identical Senate companion, S 2950 Sub A, was enacted the same day as P.L. 2024, ch. 175. The 2024 changes to the drill section took effect July 1, 2024. The official history note for the drill section lists no amendment after those two 2024 laws. The 2026 school-safety bill H 7731 Sub A was enacted June 19, 2026, as P.L. 2026, ch. 216, and its Senate companion, S 2209 Sub A, was enacted the same day as P.L. 2026, ch. 217. Both amend § 16-21-23 (school safety teams, crisis response teams and safety assessments), not the drill section § 16-21-4, and neither text contains the word "drill".