Rhode Island General Laws Title 16. Education § 16-12.1-1. Legislative purpose

The general assembly recognizes that administrators are not members of teacher collective bargaining units and, therefore, are not protected by the terms of teacher bargaining agreements. While clearly intending neither to interfere with the discretion of school committees to choose those who shall administer local schools nor to grant tenure to school administrators, the general assembly deems it necessary to the orderly and effective functioning of public education to inform school administrators of the bases or reasons for their suspension, dismissal, or nonrenewal of their employment relationship, and to afford administrators an opportunity to be heard before the school committee. Full disclosure of the bases or reasons for suspension, dismissal, or nonrenewal and the hearing which may follow, while providing administrators and school committees a meaningful hedge against mistaken or impermissible actions as well as an opportunity to question and confront those individuals whose judgment or allegations furnish the basis for the actions taken, are ultimately intended to erase harmful innuendo from any suspension, dismissal, or nonrenewal of an administrator.