Enlarges definitions of prohibited acts that constitute hazing, make principals, coaches, athletic directors and others responsible for knowingly failing to take reasonable measures to prevent hazing and punishes serious injury.

Rhode Island Hazing Bill – Plain English Summary

This bill strengthens Rhode Island's existing anti-hazing laws by expanding what counts as "hazing" and making it harder for schools and organizations to look the other way when it happens. Under the updated definition, a broader range of harmful, humiliating, or dangerous activities that are used to initiate or pressure someone into joining a group would officially be considered hazing — even if the person being hazed agreed to participate.

A significant new feature of this bill is that it places direct responsibility on school officials and staff. Principals, coaches, and athletic directors could face legal consequences if they knowingly failed to take reasonable steps to prevent hazing from happening. This means it would no longer be enough for an adult in charge to simply claim they didn't know — if they had reason to know and did nothing, they could be held accountable under the law.

The bill also increases penalties when hazing results in serious physical injury. This means that cases where someone is significantly hurt — not just embarrassed or mildly harmed — would face harsher punishment than current law provides. The goal is to ensure that the severity of the consequences matches the severity of the harm caused.

This bill primarily affects students, student-athletes, and members of school groups and organizations in Rhode Island, as well as the adults responsible for supervising them. It is currently in the early stages of the legislative process, having been introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review.