Requires the installation and use of a weapons detection system at every public entrance to any school building, gymnasium, school event facility, sporting event site and any site where a school hosts or participates in an event even if off campus.

Rhode Island School Weapons Detection Bill

This bill would require Rhode Island schools to install and operate weapons detection systems — similar to metal detectors or other screening technology — at every public entrance to school buildings. The requirement would apply not just to main school buildings, but also to gymnasiums, event facilities, and sporting venues. Notably, it would also extend to any off-campus location where a school hosts or participates in an event, such as a rented auditorium or a sports complex.

The bill would affect public school students, staff, visitors, and families across Rhode Island. Anyone entering a covered school space would pass through weapons screening before being allowed inside. Schools would be responsible for ensuring these systems are in place and actively used at all applicable entrances.

Currently, the bill has been introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and referred to the House Education Committee. The committee has recommended holding the bill for further study, meaning lawmakers want more time to examine it before deciding whether to move it forward. A hearing is scheduled for March 2026. Key questions that may come up during that review include how the cost of purchasing and operating these systems would be covered, who would manage the screening process, and how the requirement would be applied to the wide variety of off-campus locations schools might use.