The proposed legislation, known as the School Trauma Kit Act, mandates that all public and private elementary and secondary schools in Rhode Island must provide and maintain clearly visible and easily accessible trauma kits. The quantity and type of trauma kits will be determined by the commissioner of education in consultation with the director of the department of health, considering recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security. Each trauma kit is required to include essential supplies such as tourniquets, gloves, scissors, instructions, compression bandages, and bleeding control bandages, along with any other supplies deemed necessary by the director.

During school-sponsored or school-approved curricular or extracurricular activities, and at school-sponsored athletic contests, school officials and administrators must ensure the presence of at least one person who is properly trained in first aid and the use of the trauma kit. The bill also provides legal immunity for individuals who gratuitously render emergency assistance to a person experiencing a traumatic bleeding injury, provided they have received training in accordance with standards from the US Department of Homeland Security or the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, or an equivalent program approved by the department of health. This immunity protects them from civil liability for personal injuries resulting from ordinary negligence, but does not extend to acts of intentional harm or gross negligence.

Additionally, schools may accept funding for trauma kits from grants, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, parent-teacher organizations, private parties, and government entities. The act is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.