The Rhode Island Senate on Wednesday passed two bills sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis P. DiPalma that aim to strengthen student health and safety across the state’s schools.
The legislation now heads to the House for consideration.
The first bill (2026-S 2873) would require inspections and evaluations of indoor air quality in every school building, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The Department of Health would also be required to establish guidelines for indoor air quality in schools, including recommended thresholds for environmental conditions that directly affect student health and learning.
“How are our children expected to have a productive day at school if the air they are breathing is bad?” said DiPalma, a Democrat who represents District 12, covering Middletown, Little Compton, Newport and Tiverton. “This bill is about the health, safety and well-being of Rhode Island’s children, who deserve educational environments with clean and safe air to breathe.”
The second bill (2026-S 2350) would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Health to adopt policies, rules and regulations for the administration of seizure rescue medications to students medically identified as having epilepsy or a seizure disorder.
“Seizures in children are critically serious events that can rapidly become life or death situations,” DiPalma said. “This bill will ensure that our students who suffer from seizures can receive the vital care that they need immediately in a school setting.”