Board of Education Regulations

Among its duties, the Board of Education sets policy affecting elementary and secondary education in Rhode Island.

The Board exercises its authority to ensure that all students receive the best educational opportunities for enhancing academic success. The legal department plays an important role in providing support for an effective rule-making process.

Selected State Education

Board Ed Rules and Regulations Material

Regulations Approved by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education, but Promulgated by the Department of Health

For more Board of Education and Board of Regents regulations, please visit the Rhode Island Secretary of State's website.

Proposed Changes to the Regulations Governing the Education of Multilingual Learners

Public Comment - R.I. Gen. Law § 16-54-3 

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) is currently in the process of promulgating legislatively required statewide regulations pursuant to R.I. Gen. Law § 16-54-3.  

These regulations were last updated in 2007 and do not currently comport with changes in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), current legal requirements nor do they incorporate nationally recognized best practices. The Council on Elementary and Secondary Education approved these regulations to go out for public comment at the September 25, 2024, meeting. The proposed regulations will address the areas of non-compliance and incorporate best practices for supporting Multilingual Learners in Rhode Island Public schools. An overview presentation is available on the RIDE web site at: Rhode Island’s Strategy for Improving Outcomes for MLLs. 

As part of the regulatory process, a 46-day public comment period will be open from December 6, 2024, through January 20, 2025. Individuals may submit public comment regarding the proposed regulatory language in the following manner: 

  • e-mail to regspubliccomment@ride.ri.gov 
  • mail to the Rhode Island Department of Education at 255 Westminster St., Providence, RI 02903 
  • Google Form accessible through here 
  • Public comment hearings 

RIDE will hold six (6) public comment hearings, one in each county of Rhode Island. The public is invited to provide public comment on the regulations on the following dates:   

  • December 18, 2024 at Kingston Free Library, 2605 Kingstown Rd, Kingston, RI 02881 from 5-6 PM 
  • December 19, 2024 at Woonsocket Hamlet Middle School, 60 Florence Dr, Woonsocket, RI 02895 from 5-6 PM 
  • January 7, 2025 at Providence Career and Technical Academy, 41 Fricker St, Providence, RI 02903 from 5-6 PM 
  • January 9, 2025 at Newport - Pell Elementary School, 35 Dexter St, Newport, RI 02840 from 5-6 PM 
  • January 13, 2025 at West Warwick High School, 1 Webster Knight Dr, West Warwick, RI 02893 from 5-6 PM 
  • January 14, 2025 at Central Falls - Calcutt Middle School, 112 Washington St. Central Falls, RI 02863 from 5-6 PM 

Public hearings will last approximately one hour or until all public comments are heard. Public comment is welcome and will be considered in any language. If you would like to have language interpretation services or ASL translation services available for use at a hearing, please email regspubliccomment@ride.ri.gov at least one week in advance of the hearing date. 

This information is also available on the Multilingual Learners page and the Secretary of State websites. 

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