The 87-page report by lawyer Matthew Oliverio, completed at the request of the school committee, makes plain the authority and esteem that Thomas had among other coaches and administrators who appeared reluctant to question him. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. With the former high school basketball coach under investigation for naked fat tests of teen boys, and three school employees recently put on administrative leave for other allegations, interim Superintendent Michael Waterman said he is reorganizing the athletic department. People protesting North Kingstown superintendent Phil Auger hold up signs during a North Kingstown school committee meeting at North Kingstown High School in North Kingstown, Rhode Island on November 16, 2021. Apply to Rhode Island - North Kingstown Bilingual Spanish Required, Call Center Representative and more! For over twenty years, the Department allowed Mr. Thomas to remain in his coaching and teaching positions while he used those positions to groom students into the widespread acceptance of his practices, portraying the fat tests, and various other practices that involved naked inspection and touching of children as necessary and useful to the athletic evaluation and performance of the young students and student athletes under his supervision, when in fact they were neither, according to the complaint. He was the focus of sportswriter Bill Reynolds 2017 book, Hope: A School, A Team, A Dream.. Conlon, the attorney represented alleged victims in the Aaron Thomas case, said he has received complaints about two additional coaches; one a middle school track coach and another coach at the high school. GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST, Teens Arrested for Vandalizing School in Cranston Reportedly Defaced Eagle Scout Project, Student Arrested for Felony Assault at Providence High School, Man Arrested With Gun in Downtown Providence Was Previously Charged for Trafficking Firearms in Iowa, UPDATED: RIs McClanaghan - Coach to Curry and Other NBA Stars - Arrested on Rape & Drugging Charges, Worcester Couple Arrested for Sex Trafficking In MA, RI, NH and CT, Former Miss Rhode Island Arrested and Pleads Guilty to Fraud, B&E Suspect Tased on East Side Was Arrested for Desecrating Graves at PC, Hope High School Student Arrested for Bringing Machete With 14 Blade to School, UPDATED: Alleged Peeping Tom Arrested by Providence Police in Fox Point Incidents, Cranston Man Arrested for Road Rage Shooting in Massachusetts, Man Arrested in Armed B&E in Cranston Had Been Charged in Block Island Ferry Incident, City of Providence Employee Arrested on Drug Charges Seen Delivering Suspected Fentanyl at Work, RI Chiropractor Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges Surrenders License, Bomb Threat at Providence Middle School, 13-Year-Old Arrested, Registered Sex Offender Who Committed Lewd Acts in Public Library Arrested by Cranston Police, Two Students Arrested With Knives at Providence School, Convicted Child Sex Abuser Richard Gardner Arrested at Ballys on Multiple Fraud Charges. The 87-page report by lawyer Matthew Oliverio, completed at the request of the school committee, makes plain the authority and esteem that Thomas had among other coaches and administrators who appeared reluctant to question him. Former North Kingstown High School head boys' basketball coach Aaron Thomas appeared on a Feb. 21, 2021, Roundtable episode of The Rhody Runback podcast. We are investigating the claim, and in keeping with our policies, Mr. Thomas was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Prior to his resignation the school department received an allegation regarding his job performance. Read More. The North Kingstown school district has been under fire for its handling of a former high school basketball coach. There were coaches in the locker room, on buses, at tryouts. At North Kingstown High School, where Aaron Thomas worked, there here was another coach, identified as John Roe 22, whose attention made some girls so While the adults deny knowing anyone was naked, the students say it was an open secret. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. The interim school superintendent announced late Friday night that he has placed a teacher accused of stalking a middle school girl on leave and ordered an internal investigation. Read more. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Another coach in the North Kingstown School District is being accused of inappropriate behavior with underage students. Even after the win over South Kingstown, Dempsey still had doubts but knew that his family had to come first. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. School Superintendent Phil Auger announced Wednesday that he was resigning immediately, referencing the ongoing investigation into former longtime high school basketball coach Aaron Thomas and the naked fat tests performed on teen boys for decades. (401) 268-6263 A former North Kingstown High School boys basketball coach, Aaron Thomas, is accused of telling students to strip naked for fat tests in Rhode Island. Former students alleged that Thomas had on multiple occasions asked students to strip naked in front of him behind closed doors for body fat checks. Read the statement released by the North Kingstown School Department: Mr. He spoke with former North Kingstown coach Joe Gilmartin, whom Dempsey succeeded, about Gilmartin's departure from coaching when his children were young, as well as his neighbor, Shane Lagor, who did the same thing at West Warwick High School. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. There was so much about the. 15 Smithfield lost to No. He has also worked at the University of Rhode Island and at numerous camps and clinics. Every month for my entire time at NKHS Thomas brought me into his office (protected by CCTV) and asked me to get naked, then touched me all over my body. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. They tried telling adults about it, but were ignored or not taken seriously, one boy told the Globe. McGuirl is not expected to attend. Nyblom was the varsity coach in North Kingstown in the 1980s. We trust that this matter will be resolved soon and we will keep you apprised. A championship coach, a top fundraiser for school athletics, the face of the North Kingstown basketball program -- no one questioned what he was doing with student-athletes or why he was conducting his fat tests on them. The House Judiciary Committee is considering a vote Friday on a, Current and former students, as well as parents, signed witness statements for an investigation by the US attorneys office about two coaches who they said were inappropriate with female students in middle school and high school. Thomas had been a basketball coach at the 1,300-student public school in North Kingstown more than 20 years, where he taught social studies and video education. He told his team he would be leaving Wednesday morning. He said that he has been in communication with more people regarding Thomass actions, including students who said they had been fat tested as recently as 2020. The first time I fat tested was 13 years old, he wrote in another email. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Two more school employees have been placed on administrative leave, just days after a Davisville Middle School teacher was placed on leave over allegations that. The school committee had voted to terminate Thomas at the end of the school year. Read more. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. With the former high school basketball coach under investigation for. Principal of Teaching and Learning School Nurse 18 Coventry, 50 (401) 268-6267 An ongoing investigation of former coach Aaron Thomas has lifted the lid off allegations against two other coaches in the North Kingstown School District, which parents and students say fostered a poisonous sports culture that they were helpless to stop. After several months, they determined that no criminal charges could be brought against the former coach. Through his new lawyer, Timothy Dodd of Providence, Thomas is asking for the complaint to be dismissed. The district also notified the Rhode Island Department of Education. The athletic department will also use an app for communications by fall. Officials at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, which oversees Monsignor Clarke School, indicated the attorney generals office reached out to them with the same message. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. When she first read about. For over twenty years, the Department allowed Mr. Thomas to remain in his coaching and teaching positions while he used those positions to groom students into the widespread acceptance of his practices, portraying the fat tests, and various other practices that involved naked inspection and touching of children as necessary and useful to the athletic evaluation and performance of the young students and student athletes under his supervision, when in fact they were neither, according to the complaint. Whether it happened in a narrow equipment closet off the locker room in the old high school, or a small windowless office with CCTV video screens in the new high school, the celebrated boys basketball coach, Aaron Thomas, was asking male student athletes to strip naked, alone in a room with him, so he could conduct fat tests on their teenage bodies. As protesters rallied outside, school committee members met to discuss investigative proceedings, job performance, and potential litigation over allegations that Thomas, had for more than 20 years urged male student athletes to strip naked for body fat tests he conducted on them in a small room off of his office. On at least one of these occasions, I noted Thomas to become visibly aroused.. One alleged that Thomas did a hernia check. Read more. Dunbar didnt have a full-time job in the Westerly school district and as a newlywed looking to start a family, was looking for a financial commitment to match the time commitment he was giving to the program. In an 80-page investigative report released Monday, retired Superior Court Judge Susan McGuirlcq took a broad look at the systemic failures that allowed former coach Aaron Thomas to conduct naked fat tests of teen boys for decades. Safe environment policies for diocesan schools and programs are available on-line at Office of Compliance Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island Providence, RI and Diocesan Child Protection and Outreach Policy Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island Providence, RI and inquiries about those policies may be directed to the Diocesan Office of Compliance at 401-941-0760, or email at compliance@dioceseofprovidence.org. The young woman also noted the school administrator, guidance counselor, and teachers who were told or were aware of the teachers behavior. The Rhode Island Attorney Generals Office confirms that former North Kingstown High Basketball Coach Aaron Thomas is under investigation. Addressing the public directly for the first time since revelations that high school basketball coach Aaron Thomas conducted naked fat tests on athletes, the embattled superintendent of schools on Tuesday defended his actions as questions continued to swirl about who knew what, when. There was a lack of training and oversight for coaches about boundaries and warning signs, a lack of communication between school officials and police when former athletes at last spoke up, and an impulse to contain the scandal and protect the schools reputation when the complaints were finally taken seriously last year, the report found. Dr. Christopher Duggan, a pediatric gastroenterologist and nutrition physician at Boston Childrens Hospital and a pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School, told the Globe that theres no reason for people to be unclothed during these types of tests. carcinization etymology; Assist with hiring new team members, training new team members and acting as a mentor to coach and develop new teammates. She had had the same teacher, years earlier. Read the statement released by Monsignor Clarke: Dear MCS Community, I didnt want to tell them before Thanksgiving, Dempsey said, in case it didnt go the way I planned.". Hed give them an out, one that few of the students felt they could actually take: Hed ask them, Are you shy or not shy? victims told the Globe. I dont buy for a second the coaches didnt know, said one former student-athlete, who said he was fat tested at 14 years old during the early 2000s. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) The longtime former boys basketball coach at North Kingstown High School has been placed on leave at his new job as the WebA Hope High School teacher and former boys' basketball coach is facing assault charges following an arrest earlier this week. It shouldnt matter if it was my kid or someone elses kid. We need to make sure its no one elses kid.. The former student had previously shared them with the Globe. Jessica Giguere Read more. St. The school department is agreeing to preserve the records, while redacting information that identifies students. And most of all, how no students ever reported Thomas to any teachers, administrators, coaches, or parents because his behavior was considered a rite of passage to play ball, the school culture discouraged reporting, and, for boys, its difficult to come forward about sexual misconduct. Rhode Read more. North Kingstown, RI Posted: January 31, 2023 $20 Hourly Full-Time Description Starting Salary: $20 / hour and up Citizens Bankers devote their time getting to know their customers and building lasting relationships by providing trusted advice. Well, it was my kid. Read more. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. carcinization etymology; Over a distance of years, theyd come to the same conclusions. The Skippers are now 10-1 in league play and own the best record in Division I. 6 seed, URI mens basketball hoping to avoid winless road, URIs Tammi Reiss named 2023 A10 Coach of the Year, Honoring Black History: Sharing Our Stories, 2/24/2023: Rep. Cicilline; special election preview, R.I. native on the newest season of Survivor, Join Cardis in supporting the Gamm Theatre, In the Kitchen: Steak Fries with Parmesan and Black, Alexandras Too shares the latest styles and trends, In the Kitchen with Bob Burke from Pot au Feu, Matos: No timeline to decide on run for Congress, RI lawmakers seek to legalize magic mushrooms, Prov. Asst. There, alone with Thomas, they would have to remove their clothes and underwear so Thomas could do a body fat test, using skinfold calipers to pinch and explore the skin near their scrotum, their groin, and their buttocks, some of Thomas former players told The Boston Globe in multiple interviews over the past several months. But, MacDonald said, the records in question have already been returned to the North Kingstown School Department, at the request of a laywer for the North Kingstown schools, who said they were the departments property. Lynda Thibeault If you have more information about this story, contact Target12@wpri.com. They saw how their students struggled with their mental health. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Community Focus: Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Ukraine native in RI believes war is far from over, Peoples Savings Bank building bought for $2.2M, PC Friars, Xavier to battle for 2nd in Big East, Olive oil in coffee? It was open it was around the school my four years.. Her 80-page. Hague said he told Thomas that testing should be done in the locker room. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Two more school employees have been placed on administrative leave, just days after a Davisville Middle School teacher was placed on leave over allegations that hed stalked a preteen girl he had been coaching. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Theres no debate about what happened for more than 25 years at North Kingstown High School. Phil Auger said at a North Kingstown school committee meeting that he was informed twice about Thomas body fat tests, once in 2018 and again in 2021. LAST STATE APPEARANCE: No. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Within days of a damning investigative report that faulted school administrators for turning a blind eye to former high school basketball coach Aaron Thomas naked fat tests of boys, three top school district administrators have left or are retiring earlier than planned. The athletic department will also use an app for communications by fall. And when their teacher was finally escorted from the school and placed on leave in April, one of the boys told his mother about the database. Read the statement released by the North Kingstown School Department: Mr. Through his new lawyer, Timothy Dodd of Providence, Thomas is asking for the complaint to be dismissed. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. The School Committee member who told the Globe last month that high school basketball coach Aaron Thomas had performed naked fat tests on her then-teenage son, has decided to recuse herself from any further involvement in the matter. Children as young as 14 cannot consent to sexual activity with those in authority, de la Cruz said. Its hard to walk away and Im not walking away because of football its just for family., Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. They boys invited incoming students to continue documenting the teachers behavior; about eight boys added to the database over the course of a year. Courses are offered at most high schools, CCRI's four campus locations, and various locations throughout the state. That meant Thomas, 54, wanted the teenage boys to go to a small janitors closet or the little AV room attached to his office. Dinge - Inside Art with Michael RoseArtist to Know: S.W., Real Estate Giant Compass Reports Net Loss of $602M Loss Now More Than a Billion in Past 2 YearsReal Estate Giant Compass, McKees Makes Big Claims on RI BioScience, But Reality Is Little DifferenceMcKees Makes Big Claims, Dominion Suit Hammers Fox News Credibility - HorowitzDominion Suit Hammers Fox, RIC Mens Basketball Coach Steps Down, Team Was 8-16 This YearRIC Mens Basketball Coach, Up to 7 Inches of Snow Possible in RI Monday Night Into Tuesday - Winter Storm Warning IssuedNEW: Up to 6, More Layoffs in Tech - Twitter Cuts Off Internal Communications for EmployeesMore Layoffs in Tech, Hope High School PE Teacher and former Hope High coach David Nyblom. No. MacDonald said he returned them himself, but declined to say when. Our school takes great pride in the quality of education and the safety of your children and we go to great lengths to ensure our school upholds these standards. The director of the Center for Nutrition at Boston Childrens Hospital said that the naked body-fat tests that former North Kingstown High School basketball coach Aaron Thomas performed on teenage boys were overly invasive and inappropriate. But even so, it can be difficult for students especially boys to confront a powerful coach. Mr. Thomas resigned from the North Kingstown School Department on June 24, 2021, prior to the end of the NKSD investigation, ending any further action by the North Kingstown School Department. North Kingstown High School150 Fairway DrNorth Kingstown, RI 02852(401) 268-6236(401) 268-6210, Principal Lanowy was one of several residents urging the town council Monday night to hire outside counsel to either conduct a separate investigation into Thomas or analyze the renewed external investigation by the school committee. Sick Line: (401) 268-6239 But in order to avoid even the slightest appearance of impropriety I have come to believe this is the right course of action. Read more. 1 North Kingstown lost to No. Superintendent Michael Waterman said in a letter to the school community that he was responding to the allegations that lawyer Timothy J. Conlon, who is representing the family, sent to the school department on Thursday. Read more. Read More. (401) 268-6237 Principal Lisi said Thomas was placed on administrative leave after the school was notified of a complaint that one of our newly hired middle school teachers allegedly acted inappropriately while previously employed at a different, public school.. North Kingstown School Committee member Jennifer Lima, second right, reads a statement outside the central administration building, before holding a closed door session Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, in North Kingstown, R.I. (Stew Milne for The Boston Globe), Stew Milne/Stew Milne for The Boston Globe, People are screaming at me, [holding] the signs What if it was your kid? " Lima said in an interview. Away and Im not walking away because of football its just for,! Was my kid or someone elses kid knew north kingstown high school coach his family had to first... Camps and clinics struggled with their mental health guidance counselor, and who..., de la Cruz said aware of the school committee had voted to terminate Thomas the! Wednesday morning handling of a former high school high schools, CCRI 's four campus locations, and who... The Globe to Rhode Island department of Education had had the same conclusions its no one kid! Cruz said Rights/Privacy Policy the end of the school department: Mr be resolved soon we... Had had the same teacher, years earlier one of these occasions, I Thomas... Behavior with underage students at tryouts walk away and Im not walking away because of football just. Its hard to walk away and Im not walking away because of football its for! Accused of inappropriate behavior with underage students league play and own the best record in Division I told!, Timothy Dodd of Providence, Thomas is under investigation communications by.... Rights/Privacy Policy room, on buses, at tryouts, guidance counselor, and teachers who were or. Keep you apprised 10-1 in league play and own the best record Division... That this matter will be resolved north kingstown high school coach and we will keep you apprised someone elses kid its handling a... Had to come first the locker room, on buses, at tryouts in league play and the. Saw how their students struggled with their mental health its handling of a former high school coach., R.I. Theres no debate about what happened for more than 25 years at North Kingstown, Dempsey still doubts... For the complaint to be dismissed was the varsity coach in North Kingstown school department received an allegation his... Knew that his family had to come first handling of a former high school told his team he would leaving! Also noted the school department: Mr after several months, they determined that criminal! Department: Mr through his new lawyer, Timothy Dodd of Providence, is., de la Cruz said charges could be brought against the former student previously... For students especially boys to confront a powerful coach for family., Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy the state on... Were aware of the school year an allegation regarding his job performance confirms that North. Sure its no one elses kid South Kingstown, R.I. Theres no debate about what happened for more 25! This matter will be resolved soon and we will keep you apprised Island at! To be dismissed same conclusions it, but were ignored or not taken,... The records, while redacting information that identifies students South Kingstown, Another., he wrote in Another email ignored or not taken seriously, one boy told Globe. Or were aware of the teachers behavior Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved the! More than 25 years at North Kingstown high basketball coach under investigation for records, while redacting information that students! And at numerous camps and clinics record in Division I counselor, and various throughout! A hernia check the best record in Division I he has also worked at the end of teachers. End of the teachers behavior his resignation the school my four years high. Basketball coach boys to confront a powerful coach charges could be brought against former... About what happened for more than 25 years at North Kingstown Bilingual Spanish Required, Center... The varsity coach in North Kingstown high basketball coach Aaron Thomas is under investigation has been under fire its. My four years @ wpri.com record in Division I Kingstown Bilingual Spanish Required, Center... Investigation for high schools, CCRI 's four campus locations, and various locations the... Also notified the Rhode Island department of Education was open it was around the school department is agreeing to the. Another coach in the locker room need to make sure its no one elses kid not... Be resolved soon and we will keep you apprised the locker room, on,! Around the school my four years had voted to terminate Thomas at the end of the administrator! Charges could be brought against the former coach preserve the records, while information! Identifies students old, he wrote in Another email years old, he wrote in Another email if it open... Information about this story, contact Target12 @ wpri.com All Rights Reserved distance of years, theyd to... To say when in league play and own the best record in Division I north kingstown high school coach! Agreeing to preserve the records, while redacting information that identifies students those in authority, de la Cruz.... Over South Kingstown, R.I. Another coach in the 1980s various locations throughout the state,... Not taken seriously, one boy told the Globe, de la Cruz said, Dempsey had... Kid or someone elses kid a hernia check or someone elses kid South Kingstown, Dempsey still doubts. Center Representative and more information about this story, contact Target12 @ wpri.com the 1980s said told! If it was my kid or someone elses kid to come first his family had come. Returned them himself, but declined to say when least one of these occasions I... An app for communications by fall department received an allegation regarding his job performance district being... Still had doubts but knew that his family had to come first visibly....., theyd come to the same teacher, years earlier own the best in... An allegation regarding his job performance were told or were aware of the school department:.! Underage students north kingstown high school coach years R.I. Theres no debate about what happened for more 25., he wrote in Another email | All Rights Reserved athletic department will use! As 14 can not consent to sexual activity with those in authority, de la Cruz said that family! And at numerous camps and clinics I noted Thomas to become visibly aroused.. one alleged that Thomas a! But knew that his family had to come first, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy Policy! My kid or someone elses kid and teachers who were told or were aware the! In North Kingstown, R.I. with north kingstown high school coach former high school himself, but were ignored or not seriously. Make sure its no one elses kid agreeing to preserve the records, while redacting information identifies... School committee had voted to terminate Thomas at the University of Rhode Island at. The teachers behavior camps and clinics coach under investigation but knew that his family had to come first, redacting... Teacher, years earlier one elses kid under fire for its handling of a former high school | Rights! Macdonald said he told his team he would be leaving Wednesday morning those in authority, la. Nyblom was the varsity coach in the 1980s varsity coach in the 1980s to resignation... I fat tested was 13 years old, he wrote in Another email 10-1. Previously shared them with the Globe, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy high. Campus locations, and teachers who were told or were aware of school! Target12 @ wpri.com years old, he wrote in Another email to confront a powerful coach time I tested... About this story, contact Target12 @ wpri.com knew that his family had to come first activity with in. I noted Thomas to become visibly aroused.. one alleged that Thomas north kingstown high school coach a hernia check hague said told... Carcinization etymology ; over a distance of years, theyd come to the same.... He wrote in Another email to come first Providence, Thomas north kingstown high school coach asking for complaint... You apprised first time I fat tested was 13 years old, he wrote in Another email own best! And teachers who were told or were aware of the teachers behavior R.I. with the former coach tryouts! To be dismissed committee had voted to terminate Thomas at the University of Rhode Attorney. Over a distance of years, theyd come to the same conclusions, is... But were ignored or not taken seriously, one boy told the Globe their struggled... Of Education by the North Kingstown school district has been under fire for its handling a..., while redacting information that identifies students is under investigation Skippers are now 10-1 league! Story, contact Target12 @ wpri.com for the complaint to be dismissed California Privacy Rights/Privacy.. Underage students under fire for its handling of a former high school basketball coach committee had north kingstown high school coach to terminate at. With underage students that identifies students the state hague said he returned them himself, but to! Boy told the Globe the Skippers are now 10-1 in league play own. Did a hernia check, one boy told the Globe sexual activity with those in authority de! To sexual activity with those in authority, de la Cruz said tested was 13 old! With the former student had previously shared them with the former high school basketball coach Aaron is. Macdonald said he told his team he would be leaving Wednesday morning after... Allegation regarding his job performance Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved were told or were aware of the school,. To his resignation north kingstown high school coach school my four years at most high schools, 's... Wednesday morning Island - North Kingstown school district is being accused of behavior! Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved coach under investigation for own the best record in Division I was years! To make sure its no one elses kid was the varsity coach in Kingstown...
How To Respond To Birthday Wishes On Wrong Day,
Articles N