Smithfield approves revisions increasing parent involvement in student gender policy
Smithfield’s School Committee approved revisions to its transgender, gender-nonconforming and transitioning-student policy.
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Friday, November 13, 2026
Coventry advances student data policy revisions addressing AI
North Kingstown School Department
North Kingstown approves construction plans for upgrades at all four elementary schools
North Kingstown School Department
North Kingstown adopts a revised student-conduct policy with a restorative, equity-focused approach
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What’s moving in phones
The debate over phones, screens and the school day.
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What’s moving in AI
How artificial intelligence is changing classrooms and school rules.
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What’s moving in student voice
Students speaking up, organizing and helping shape their schools.
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Latest Rhode Island stories
Committee approves moving $1.38 million into health-insurance reserve
The School Committee unanimously approved transferring $1,378,541 from the Town-held school medical reserve to WB Community Health’s Premium Offset Account. The district said the reserve will be used for future health-care costs and rate stabilization.
One-year lunch-payment contract keeps credit-card payments available, with fees
The School Committee approved a one-year Heartland contract after payment providers warned they could discontinue school-lunch credit-card payments if districts did not accept additional processing fees. Families using credit cards are charged 2%, while providers sought to charge districts the remaining 3%; families can also pay by cash or check.
Committee approves procurement process for a new Coventry High School well
The School Committee approved a request for proposals for a new well at Coventry High School, advancing the project toward procurement. The existing well was described as being in poor condition as far back as the 2012–13 school evaluation; the project has grant funding and the new well is planned for school property.
Preliminary FY2026 revenue could reduce Coventry’s deficit by about $2.6 million
The School Committee heard that about $2.6 million in current-year revenue may be available to apply toward the district’s deficit. The estimate is preliminary, pending the audit and possible additional costs, and administrators attributed it largely to one-time salary, healthcare, and out-of-district tuition savings.
North Kingstown School Department
Davisville Middle School capital project design development submitted to state
The September 8, 2026 agenda references a Capital Improvement Project item for Davisville Middle School Design Development Submission to the RI Department of Education.
North Kingstown School Department
RIDE releases new facility assessment reports for every North Kingstown school building
The September 8, 2026 School Committee agenda lists the release of new Facility Assessment Reports for all North Kingstown school buildings from the RI Department of Education, with individual reports attached for Davisville Middle, Quidnessett, Fishing Cove, North Kingstown High School, Hamilton, Forest Park, and Stony Lane schools.
North Kingstown School Department
Committee to study expanding pre-K in North Kingstown
The September 8, 2026 agenda proposes conducting a study to determine the implications of expanding pre-kindergarten programming in the North Kingstown School Department.
North Kingstown School Department
Technology Supervisor's title and salary changed after executive session review
Following an executive session discussing job performance, the September 8, 2026 agenda includes discussion and possible approval of a change in title and salary for the district's current Technology Supervisor.
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North Kingstown School Department
State orders independent review of North Kingstown's bus transportation routes
The September 8, 2026 agenda includes a report on an RI Department of Education independent review of the district's transportation routes, alongside a RouteYield spring 2026 executive summary and slides examining the district's bus routing.
North Kingstown School Department
District signs historic preservation agreement for Wickford Middle School site
The September 8, 2026 agenda includes a Memorandum of Agreement between the School Committee and the RI State Historic Preservation Officer regarding Wickford Middle School at 250 Tower Hill Rd., tied to the new middle school construction project.
Smithfield approves district AI-use policy
The School Committee approved District Artificial Intelligence Policy IJNDA, establishing rules for student and staff AI use. The policy prohibits plagiarism, impersonation and unauthorized AI-generated work, with disclosure requirements and training on literacy, bias and privacy.
Smithfield awards $484,000 high-school lavatory renovation
The School Committee awarded the high-school lavatory renovation contract to Tower Construction Corporation on a $484,000 base bid. It also approved an allowance of up to $10,000 for unit-priced work on items A, B and C.
North Providence Public Schools
District proposes its first policy for vetting AI tools in schools
The School Committee has scheduled votes on a package of technology rules, including a new AI and Online Educational Tool Vetting and Approval policy and protocol, a school internet filter policy, a student data and information security policy, an updated student acceptable use policy for the district network, and a staff technology use policy. A vetting policy is the step a district takes before teachers can put a new online or AI tool in front of students. These are proposals on a meeting agenda; the collected record does not show the outcome.
North Providence Public Schools
District proposes handing the Centredale School building back to the town
The School Committee has scheduled a vote to return care and control of 41 Angell Avenue, the Centredale School, to the Town of North Providence effective immediately, and to ask the Town Council for an ordinance change to go with it. This follows the merger of Centredale and Greystone earlier in 2026. As of the collected record this is a proposal on a meeting agenda, not a completed decision.
North Providence Public Schools
New health science and sports medicine pathways proposed for the high school
The School Committee has scheduled votes on a new Sports Medicine Pathway agreement for North Providence High School, an updated agreement with Ozga EMS covering the PTECH certified nursing assistant and emergency medical technician health science programme, an agreement with New England Institute of Technology, and a new career and technical education student and parent handbook. A pathway is a sequence of high school courses that leads to a specific job qualification or college credit. These are proposals on a meeting agenda.
Breakfast and lunch price increase proposed for the new school year
The agenda for the August 20, 2026 School Committee meeting lists a vote on an increase in school breakfast and lunch rates, alongside renewal of the district's food service contract with Chartwells for 2026-2027 and a presentation on the school lunch programme. The rate change is listed for discussion, review and approval; the minutes filed for that date repeat the July 16 record, so the outcome is not in the collected material.
Coventry High School has a new assistant principal
Superintendent Cowart introduced Andrew Longo as Coventry High School’s new assistant principal. The minutes record his introduction to the committee but do not provide a start date or additional details about the transition.
School meal prices set to rise
An increase in school meal prices is scheduled for a vote at the August 13, 2026 School Committee meeting, along with the student handbooks and codes of conduct for every grade level. The committee has been discussing school food finances all year: in January it heard about efforts to collect outstanding lunch balances, and in November it looked at a vending machine that would sell hot meals to high school students who do not have time to queue for breakfast. As of the collected record this is a proposal, not a decision.
New phone rules add a two-day detention for a first offence at the high school
On August 13, 2026 the committee adopted amended policies I-2 and G-14 on personal electronic devices, written to comply with a new state law, together with revised high school and middle school handbooks. The rules require students to keep phones in a backpack or locker rather than on their person, and the policy subcommittee added a two-day detention to the consequences for a first offence at the high school after administrators asked for a stronger deterrent. Administrators reported about 600 device infractions in the previous year. The requirement that every student be issued a locker was dropped after the committee decided not to make students leave backpacks in lockers.
Committee scheduled a vote to change the student electronic device policy
The notice for the August 11, 2026 public meeting lists Resolution 26-08-05, a vote to amend the district's Electronic Device Policy, which sets the rules for phones and other personal devices in school. An updated version of the policy was on the work-session agendas for July 6 and August 3, 2026. The filed notices do not include the text of the change, and no minutes for the August 11 meeting had been filed with the state as of this review.
Construction budget amendments approved for all four school rebuild sites
The School Committee approved Guaranteed Maximum Price contract, budget, insurance, and schedule amendments from Shawmut for the ongoing rebuilds of Nayatt School, Sowams School, Barrington High School, and Primrose Hill School.
New assistant principals approved at Barrington High School and Hampden Meadows School
The School Committee approved contracts for Drew Bernard as Assistant Principal at Barrington High School and Chrissy Squatrito as Assistant Principal at Hampden Meadows School.
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