Rhode Island HS athletics runs through RIIL across about 54 public and private schools under one umbrella governance — unusual among Northeast states. RIGL 16-104 targets cloud-computing operators directly. Lightning for Schools is built for RIIL athletic directors: RIGL 16-104-compliant student-data handling and pricing with 10 included coach seats plus low-cost extras.

Built for RIIL

Governing Body

Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL)

Member-school eligibility rules, classification, and championship workflows shape what an athletic department needs from its software. Lightning for Schools is configured to support RIIL-aligned workflows out of the box — not generic NFHS templates that don't map to your state's specifics. Reference: www.riil.org.

Compliant with Rhode Island General Laws Title 16, Chapter 16-104 (Student Data-Cloud Computing) + RIGL Chapter 11-49.3 (Identity Theft Protection Act of 2015)

Student Data Privacy

Rhode Island General Laws Title 16, Chapter 16-104 (Student Data-Cloud Computing) + RIGL Chapter 11-49.3 (Identity Theft Protection Act of 2015)

RIGL Title 16, Chapter 16-104 ("Student Data-Cloud Computing") prohibits cloud-computing service providers to RI educational institutions from processing K-12 student data for any purpose other than the cloud service itself — explicitly barring commercial advertising or other commercial use. RIGL Chapter 11-49.3 (Identity Theft Protection Act of 2015) layers personally-identifiable-information protections at the state level. Lightning's data-handling practices are built to meet these requirements; a vendor that can't speak to your state's privacy framework should not be on your shortlist.

What Rhode Island athletic directors actually deal with

RIIL is one of the smallest state leagues by school count — roughly 54 public and private high schools, about 20,000 students annually. Postseason brackets are tight; division alignment is heavily-scrutinized because small shifts in school enrollment can affect competitive balance materially.
Rhode Island's public + private mix is unusual — RIIL governs both public and private schools under one umbrella, with Catholic and independent schools (Bishop Hendricken and La Salle Academy among the historically dominant football programs) competing alongside public programs rather than splitting off into a separate prep-school circuit the way most Northeast states do.
Football is comparatively smaller than basketball, baseball, and hockey in RI HS recruiting visibility — basketball recruits the densest D1 attention (URI, Providence, Brown attention statewide), with hockey running through prep + USHL-feeder pipelines.
RIGL 16-104 specifically targets cloud-computing operators with educational K-12 contracts — narrowly scoped but directly applicable to AD-side vendors. Vendor contracts with RI districts should explicitly address the 16-104 commercial-use prohibition.

What Lightning for Schools includes

10 coach seats included

Flat $150/yr base includes 10 full coach seats. Need more for a big multi-sport department? Add extra seats anytime at 50% of the coach-tier price.

Roster + eligibility

Per-sport, per-season roster management with eligibility tracking, transfer documentation, and out-of-season practice limits.

Recruiting portal integration

Your student-athletes' Lightning profiles roll into a searchable college-coach portal — recruiting attention without leaving the AD platform.

DPA-compliant data handling

Aligned with Rhode Island General Laws Title 16, Chapter 16-104 (Student Data-Cloud Computing) + RIGL Chapter 11-49.3 (Identity Theft Protection Act of 2015) requirements. Documentation available for your district's procurement review.

Stat verification

Coach Verified and Tournament Verified stats flow into the recruiting layer automatically. Reduces manual roster-update workload for AD staff.

Multi-season scheduling

Fall / winter / spring sport scheduling in one tool — facility allocation, transportation requests, official assignments.

Built for athletic departments across Rhode Island

We're looking for our first partner departments in the state. If you're an AD in one of these areas and want to talk through a pilot:

Providence metro Warwick Cranston Newport / Aquidneck Island Pawtucket / Central Falls South County (Narragansett / South Kingstown)

Lightning for Schools · RI

$150 / year

Base tier · 10 coach seats included · Rhode Island General Laws Title 16, Chapter 16-104 (Student Data-Cloud Computing) + RIGL Chapter 11-49.3 (Identity Theft Protection Act of 2015) compliant

See full Lightning for Schools details →

Talk to Christian directly

I'm the founder. Rhode Island athletic directors who want to talk through a pilot or just get specific questions answered can reach me directly: [email protected] or (443) 996-6563.