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11/6/2023
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Media Advisory: Study commission on school safety protocols to meet Wednesday
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STATE HOUSE – Special Legislative Study Commission to Evaluate and Provide Recommendations on Mandated Safety Protocols for Rhode Island Schools is scheduled to meet Wednesday, Nov. 8, at 4 p.m. in the House Lounge on the second floor of the State House for a meeting featuring presentations from representatives of educational institutions.
The meeting will include presentations from commission members Andy Andrade of the Rhode Island Department of Education and Lawrence Filippelli of the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association, as well as James Alan Fox, a professor at Northeastern University.
Public testimony will be accepted at this meeting, in person or in writing. Please email written testimony to Derrik Trombley at dtrombley@rilegislature.gov and indicate your name and organization, if applicable. It is recommended to send written testimony in PDF format. Written testimony will be distributed to commission members, posted to the General Assembly website, and may be accessible via internet search engines. Written testimony received 24 hours in advance of the meeting will be distributed to commission members at that meeting.
The meeting will be televised by Capitol Television on Cox Communications Channels 15 and 61 for high definition; i3Broadband (formerly Full Channel) on Channel 15; and Verizon on Channel 34. Livestreaming sill be available at https://www.rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx.
The commission is led by Rep. Jennifer Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence), a longtime firearms safety advocate and sponsor of the legislation (2023-H 6422) creating it. Its purpose is to study school lockdowns and fire drills and the associated mental health impacts on students. The commission will also study protocols and impacts of actual lockdown events, to include swatting events like those that recently occurred in school districts across the state. The commission brings together experts and stakeholders from across the state to answer complex questions such as whether and when students should be encouraged to evacuate during lockdown events, whether advanced notice should be provided to students and/or parents prior to a lockdown drill and whether the frequency of drills should be changed.
In addition to Chairwoman Boylan, Andrade and Filippelli, the commission includes Rep. Joseph McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston), Rep. Jennifer A. Stewart (D-Dist. 59, Pawtucket), Francis J. Flynn of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Federation of Teachers; Sherrie Monaco of the Rhode Island Association of School Psychologists; Chief Scott Kettelle of the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs, Katelyn Medeiros of the Office of the Rhode Island Child Advocate, high school student Millie Piper, special needs educator Amanda Soave-Curi, Lt. Nicholas Rivello of the Rhode Island State Police, Chief Kevin M. Lynch of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association, Michael Hassell of the Rhode Island Association of School Principals, Amy Mullen of the National Education Association of Rhode Island, high school teacher Glenn Valentine, Edward Troiano of the Office of the Attorney General, high school student Dexter Vincent and Jennifer Ahlijanian of the Rhode Island Association of Social Workers.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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