Rhode Island Rep Pitches Anti-Hazing Bill

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Rhode Island state representative has introduced legislation that would establish zero tolerance for hazing and ensure discipline that is transparent and consistent.

The bill brought by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, D-Warwick, Cranston, would create a statewide anti-hazing policy for Rhode Island public schools.

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The legislation would compel the Department of Education to develop the policy in conjunction with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, would establish zero tolerance for hazing and ensure discipline that is transparent and consistent, according to a media release.

"The guiding principle behind the policy would be that hazing, bullying and harassment have no place in any school environment," the release said.

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“As a retired educator, coach and former student athlete, I can state without reservation that hazing is degrading, abusive and dangerous,” McNamara said in the release.

“We’ve all worked hard to make schools safer, more welcoming and more inclusive," said McNamara, who chairs the House Education Committee.

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"Athletics should not be an exception to that rule," he said. "Regardless of what form it takes, hazing creates an environment of trauma and humiliation, and we have to take it more seriously.”

The legislation comes on the heels of an incident at Smithfield High School where five seniors locked a freshman in a restroom while spraying him with Lysol and another at Rogers High School in Newport where four teens were arrested for assaulting a student with special needs in a locker room, according to the release.

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The bill calls for sanctions and penalties for students and student-athletes who engage in hazing that could include suspension from a team, as well as team-level consequences, which could include the cancelation of a team’s season, according to the release.

"The policy would also include a requirement that each student-athlete sign an acknowledgement that a violation of the policy may result in the imposition of penalties and sanctions," the release said.

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