Bill Sponsors
J. Lombardi, Hull, Sanchez, Cruz, and Stewart
Committee
House Education
Summary
Select
This legislation amends existing education laws to mandate a specific focus on mental health instruction. It requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop guidelines and curriculum materials that address the multiple dimensions of health, specifically linking physical and mental well-being. The bill mandates that every school district include a four-hour unit of instruction dedicated to mental health for all seventh-grade students. This new curriculum requirement is scheduled to be implemented beginning with the 2027-2028 school year.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Promotes the destigmatization of mental health issues by integrating formal education on the subject into the standard curriculum for all young students.
- Ensures equitable access to mental health information for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background or family resources, potentially identifying needs early.
- Adopts a holistic approach to student wellness by explicitly linking physical and mental health, potentially leading to better long-term public health outcomes for the community.
Cons for Progressives
- The mandate of only four hours of instruction may be viewed as insufficient to adequately address complex mental health topics and systemic trauma faced by students.
- Implementation is delayed until the 2027-2028 school year, failing to address the immediate mental health crisis and needs of current students.
- Focuses on curriculum instruction rather than providing funding for actual mental health services, such as increased staffing for school counselors or social workers.
Pros for Conservatives
- Addresses the growing concern of youth suicide and substance abuse, which aligns with protecting the sanctity of life and family stability.
- Maintains a limited scope of government intervention by setting a specific, short duration (four hours) rather than a sprawling, undefined curriculum mandate.
- Allows school districts the option to utilize state-provided materials rather than strictly forcing a specific vendor, retaining some level of local administrative control.
Cons for Conservatives
- Imposes a state-level mandate on local school districts, reducing local control over curriculum and scheduling decisions.
- Raises concerns that "mental health" instruction could be used as a vehicle to introduce social engineering or ideologies contrary to traditional family values under the guise of wellness.
- Creates an administrative burden on schools to incorporate new requirements without providing specific additional funding to cover the costs of implementation.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Seventh grade students
- Public school teachers
- School administrators
- Parents of middle schoolers
- Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/15/2026 Introduced, referred to House Education
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Section 16-22-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-22 entitled "Curriculum [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — the Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows:
16-22-4. Instruction in health and physical education.
(a) All children in grades one through twelve (12) attending public schools, or any other schools managed and controlled by the state, except as provided in § 16-100-3(d), shall receive in those schools instruction in health and physical education under rules and regulations the department of elementary and secondary education may prescribe or approve during periods that shall average at least twenty (20) minutes in each school day. No private school or private instruction shall be approved by any school committee for the purposes of chapter 19 of this title as substantially equivalent to that required by law of a child attending a public school in the same city or town unless instruction in health and physical education similar to that required in public schools shall be given. Commencing September 1, 2012, the required health education curriculum shall be based on the health education standards of the Rhode Island health education framework: health literacy for all students as promulgated by the Rhode Island department of education and consistent with the mandated health instructional outcomes therein. Commencing September 1, 2012, the required physical education curriculum shall be based on the physical education standards of the Rhode Island physical education framework: supporting physically active lifestyles through quality physical education as promulgated by the Rhode Island department of education and consistent with the instructional outcomes therein.
(b) The department of elementary and secondary education shall incorporate, in consultation with the state department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, substance abuse prevention and suicide prevention into the health education curriculum. For the purpose of this section, “substance abuse prevention” means the implementation of evidence-based, age-appropriate programs, practices, or curricula related to the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; “suicide prevention” means the implementation of evidence- based, appropriate programs, practices, or curricula related to mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Further, “substance abuse prevention” and suicide prevention programs shall specifically include information provided to students that mixing opioids and alcohol can cause accidental death.
(c) The department of education shall promulgate guidelines, rules and regulations for every school district, private school, mayoral academy, and charter school and make available on its website, curriculum materials, and such other materials as may assist local and regional school committees, and governing bodies of any private school, mayoral academy, or charter school, in developing instructional material on the multiple dimensions of health, by including mental health and the relation of physical and mental health, in order to enhance student understanding, attitudes and behaviors, that promote health, well-being and human dignity. The curriculum material and the guidelines shall be developed by the department of education, in consultation with groups and individuals having an interest and expertise in the field of mental health and mental illness treatment.
(d) Every school district shall include in its curriculum for all seventh grade students, a four (4) hour unit of instruction on mental health and the relation of physical and mental health. School districts may utilize materials provided by the department of education and the curriculum shall be provided for the 2027-2028 school year and each school year thereafter.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
16-22-4. Instruction in health and physical education.
(a) All children in grades one through twelve (12) attending public schools, or any other schools managed and controlled by the state, except as provided in § 16-100-3(d), shall receive in those schools instruction in health and physical education under rules and regulations the department of elementary and secondary education may prescribe or approve during periods that shall average at least twenty (20) minutes in each school day. No private school or private instruction shall be approved by any school committee for the purposes of chapter 19 of this title as substantially equivalent to that required by law of a child attending a public school in the same city or town unless instruction in health and physical education similar to that required in public schools shall be given. Commencing September 1, 2012, the required health education curriculum shall be based on the health education standards of the Rhode Island health education framework: health literacy for all students as promulgated by the Rhode Island department of education and consistent with the mandated health instructional outcomes therein. Commencing September 1, 2012, the required physical education curriculum shall be based on the physical education standards of the Rhode Island physical education framework: supporting physically active lifestyles through quality physical education as promulgated by the Rhode Island department of education and consistent with the instructional outcomes therein.
(b) The department of elementary and secondary education shall incorporate, in consultation with the state department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, substance abuse prevention and suicide prevention into the health education curriculum. For the purpose of this section, “substance abuse prevention” means the implementation of evidence-based, age-appropriate programs, practices, or curricula related to the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; “suicide prevention” means the implementation of evidence- based, appropriate programs, practices, or curricula related to mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Further, “substance abuse prevention” and suicide prevention programs shall specifically include information provided to students that mixing opioids and alcohol can cause accidental death.
(c) The department of education shall promulgate guidelines, rules and regulations for every school district, private school, mayoral academy, and charter school and make available on its website, curriculum materials, and such other materials as may assist local and regional school committees, and governing bodies of any private school, mayoral academy, or charter school, in developing instructional material on the multiple dimensions of health, by including mental health and the relation of physical and mental health, in order to enhance student understanding, attitudes and behaviors, that promote health, well-being and human dignity. The curriculum material and the guidelines shall be developed by the department of education, in consultation with groups and individuals having an interest and expertise in the field of mental health and mental illness treatment.
(d) Every school district shall include in its curriculum for all seventh grade students, a four (4) hour unit of instruction on mental health and the relation of physical and mental health. School districts may utilize materials provided by the department of education and the curriculum shall be provided for the 2027-2028 school year and each school year thereafter.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.