Meghan Maguire (401) 268-6263 Barbara-Jean Mancini A spokesman for the Diocese told the Globe on Saturday that the principal at North Kingstown High School had given longtime teacher and basketball coach Aaron Thomas a positive, professional reference and he wouldnt have been hired if theyd known he was under investigation. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) It was a busy morning for first responders in North Kingstown on Wednesday. (401) 268-6261, Clinic Main Line: (401) 268-6278 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. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Another coach in the North Kingstown School District is being accused of inappropriate behavior with underage students. Read more. 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. Most, however, felt pressured to say they were not shy. Earlier stories, in chronological order, are below. Whos next at North Kingstown? The boys were in sixth grade when they became uncomfortable with the way their teacher, who was also a coach, treated girls in their class. How this went on for more than 20 years, because Thomas was respected, powerful, and left unchecked. 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. The boys had kept notes in a Discord subchannel. Waterman and Athletic Director Chris Cobain told the School Committee Tuesday they will require additional training for coaches that will include protecting students from abuse, engaging effectively with parents, preventing bullying, hazing, and inappropriate behavior, and preventing sexual harassment. Successful completion of this course earns a certificate that students may present to the DMV for a Drivers Permit. Thomas moved communications about school business off the school system and through private servers, and created his own net work for communicating with students about body fat testing, Conlon told the Globe outside the courthouse Friday. Upon receiving the information, the district immediately placed Mr. Thomas on an administrative leave, and subsequently the School Committee voted to terminate him at the conclusion of the academic year (the earliest opportunity per RI Law). For my response to Mr. Thomas, I remain steadfast in the knowledge that I acted appropriately and immediately in the best interest of students past and present, with the information I had at the time. Read more. After hearing concerns from the lawyer representing former and current student athletes, the Town Council voted unanimously to ask the committee about counseling for former students and to demonstrate the school district had put new policies in place. Its hard to walk away and Im not walking away because of football its just for family., Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. If you have more information about this story, contact Target12@wpri.com. The athletic department will also use an app for communications by fall. Asst. 1 North Kingstown lost to No. Feb 04 @ 0. Then, on Feb. 12, 2021, another former student emailed deputy superintendent Denise Mancieri, saying the fat testing had started when he was about 13. 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. The former high school athletic director accused last month, Nauset Superintendent Brooke Clenchy said Kenyon resigned on Wednesday for personal reasons.. Also do concussion on The North Kingstown school district has been under fire for its handling of a former high school basketball coach. The Skippers stayed on track Tuesday with a 58-44 victory over Bay View, the team they beat for the D-I title last season. However, the weight testing agreement he shared with the Globe on Thursday does not detail how the testing would be performed, and does not disclose that the student-athletes would be asked to be fully nude. All the missed red flags about his behavior. Updated: Mar 1, 2023 / 02:17 PM EST. It was open it was around the school my four years.. Participate enthusiastically in structured and informal learning and development opportunities. That revelation, along with interviews and testimony from other student athletes, was revealed in the report by lawyer Matthew Oliverio, who was hired by the School Committee to find out how much school administrators officials knew about what Thomas was doing and what they did to stop him and protect students. hed stalked a preteen girl he had been coaching. 4 Ponaganset, 62-57, in the 2022 semifinals.No. Retired Superior Court Judge Susan McGuirl was hired by the Town Council in November to analyze the findings of investigations into Thomas and accusations that he had performed body fat tests on nude teenage boys since at least the mid-1990s. WebFull time: 42 hours per week (Monday and Tuesday 9a-7p, Wednesdays 10a-6p, Thursdays 9a-5p, Fridays 9a-3p)Essential Duties and Responsibilities Recruit, hire, train and develop a high performing staff consisting of Assistant Managers, Member Service Representatives, Trainers and Custodians. 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 And most, former student-athletes say now, still wonder why no one stopped him. 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 Globe Rhode Island contacted multiple former administrators, teachers, and sports officials who supervised or worked alongside Thomas at North Kingstown High School over the last 30 years. Aaron Thomas, head basketball coach at North Kingstown High since the 1990s, resigned suddenly amid a school department investigation into claims of misconduct in June of this year. Theyd been through the disruptions of the pandemic, adapted to distance learning, and then the return to classrooms that had changed. One alleged that Thomas did a hernia check.. Even after the win over South Kingstown, Dempsey still had doubts but knew that his family had to come first. 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. Eric Anderson A spokesman for the Diocese told the Globe on Saturday that the principal at North Kingstown High School had given longtime teacher and basketball coach Aaron Thomas a positive, professional reference and he wouldnt have been hired if theyd known he was under investigation. Football has been a part of Dempseys life since he was 6 years old. #ada-button-frame { 15 Smithfield lost to No. Shivali Finkelstein The Diocese of Providence said it had no idea that its new middle school social studies teacher at Monsignor Clarke School in South Kingstown, who was hired just this fall, had been forced to resign from North Kingstown High School in June over allegations of performing body fat tests on the groins of naked teenage boys. They said, This is the guy who does the body fat tests, when he tells you that you have to be naked, you have to, she told the Globe on Monday. That revelation, along with interviews and testimony from other student athletes, was revealed in the report by lawyer Matthew Oliverio, who was hired by the School Committee to find out how much school administrators officials knew about what Thomas was doing and what they did to stop him and protect students. Nyblom was the varsity coach in North Kingstown in the 1980s. 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. He is the former coach. The North Kingstown High School coach, who is accused of conducting naked fat tests on students over the course of nearly 30 years, was terminated in 2021 NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. The Town Council will publicly release on Monday a retired judges review of the investigations into former high school boys basketball coach Aaron Thomas and his naked fat tests.. Jessica Giguere According to his biography, he first coached at Hope since 1989. What will the committee do about the current or retired officials who should be held accountable? The young woman also noted the school administrator, guidance counselor, and teachers who were told or were aware of the teachers behavior. lawmakers want public vetting of next teachers, Dave Grohl cooks barbecue for hundreds at shelter, System outage interrupts SNAP benefits, DMV services, 10 vehicles involved in 2 North Kingstown crashes, TikTok sets new default time limits for minors, Evening Sprinkle/Flurry; Light Rain Overnight Into, Passenger reacts to close call at Logan Airport, What time is it on moon? And, although the teacher wasnt publicly identified, the description of his actions sounded just like her former teacher and coach. (401) 268-6237 15 Smithfield lost to No. LAST STATE APPEARANCE: No. Although the school department ultimately removed that teacher from his coaching job in North Kingstown after the mother threatened to obtain a restraining order he went on to coach in two other school districts in Rhode Island, and still works as a teacher, said lawyer Timothy J. Conlon. Updated: Mar 1, 2023 / 02:17 PM EST. suspend service verizon; get back whip laws wisconsin; is darwin watterson black; proof of publication los angeles; koboldkare steamunlocked; characters named adam. Dempsey hails from Hazelton, Pa., an area that treats football like a religion. His teams were 7-time State finalists and also, 11-time State semifinalists. Within days of the Boston Globes exclusive story about the teenage boys database, the young woman came forward with allegations of harassment and bullying by the same teacher at Davisville Middle School. Aaron Thomas, 54, resigned as a coach and teacher at North Kingstown in June and was hired at Monsignor Clarke School in Wakefield as a teacher for the 2021 If Thomas asked if a student was Shy or not shy? the student was expected to remove his underwear for the fat testing though, according to the report, some were permitted to place their hands over their genitals as Thomas pinched the skin of their inner thighs with skin fold calipers. School Nurse Although the school department ultimately removed that teacher from his coaching job in North Kingstown after the mother threatened to obtain a restraining Thomas who has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Target 12 started at Monsignor Clarke this fall after resigning from North Kingstown High in June. (401) 268-6244 (401) 268-6279, Inspiring Students to Reach Individual Excellence. Several weeks later, Hague said, then-athletic director Dick Fossa told him that the issue had been addressed. We currently have a full-time substitute teacher in the classroom and are working to find a certified social studies teacher. Read more. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Five former high school students who say they were subjected to naked fat tests by former North Kingstown High School boys basketball coach Aaron Thomas filed a complaint Monday 1/10 with the U.S. Attorneys Office, saying school officials ignored his conduct for years. The middle school teacher, who is not named, was coaching the pre-teen girl when her family said he became fixated on her and made arrangements to be alone with her, according to Conlons letter. company Athletic IQ, as well as any communication he had with students, and records in his computer at his home or office related to his employment in North Kingstown. A lawyer for former North Kingstown High School athletes has filed a court action over former high school basketball coach Aaron Thomas removal of records from the school. (401) 268-6267 Lunar time zone push begins, Hate your signature? No. 1:00 The decision wasnt easy, but Fran Dempseys decision to step down as head coach of the North Kingstown football team was made with the future in mind. (401) 268-6238 WebNorth Kingstown High School Football; North Kingstown Football. Target 12 has independently verified that the investigation into Thomas is focused on skinfold caliper tests of body fat that he performed on some student athletes in North Kingstown over multiple decades. Perhaps, but theres really no price you can put on spending time with your children, so maybe not. North Kingstown High School150 Fairway DrNorth Kingstown, RI 02852(401) 268-6236(401) 268-6210, Principal He took over in 2020 and in three years had an 18-10 regular-season record and helped North Kingstown continue its reputation as the states best public school program. The family told Conlon that the teacher had a history of similar behavior with other young female students he coached. Coaches will be required to use the school districts email system to communicate with students and parents, Waterman said. The School Committee responded with a statement about the uniquely challenging time that didnt directly answer the questions from attendees. He was the focus of sportswriter Bill Reynolds 2017 book, Hope: A School, A Team, A Dream.. 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. Aaron Thomas, 54, resigned as a coach and teacher at North Kingstown in June and was hired at Monsignor Clarke School in Wakefield as a teacher for the 2021-22 school year. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Her 80-page. Principal of Teaching and Learning She had had the same teacher, years earlier. St. 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. All rights reserved. Connect with him onTwitterandFacebook. The Town Council said they were unsatisfied with the School Committees response so far. Lawyer Timothy J. Conlon is asking the school department to turn over all of the records tendered by Thomas or his lawyer that involve students at the high school, fat testing, and the Canton, Mass. 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. EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: Bachelors degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or 7 or more years of energy related field experience is required. Conley shared those emails publicly on Friday. 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. Some said he would also ask them to do stretches or duck walks while naked. Read more. And then, he homed in on one of his former players: There is a kid, and I know who it is, who is out to get me. 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. The matter was turned over to the North Kingstown Police Department who conducted an investigation while the district began its own investigation. 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. Making the decision wasnt something Dempsey took lightly. The school department said it turned the matter over to the North Kingstown Police Department. She maintains a 3.78 grade point average at North Kingstown High School and volunteers locally as a youth basketball and volleyball coach, also donating time as a tutor for middle school students. Heres what they had to say. He adamantly denies any criminal conduct whatsoever, MacDonald said to reporters. 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. For my response to Mr. Thomas, I remain steadfast in the knowledge that I acted appropriately and immediately in the best interest of students past and present, with the information I had at the time.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I want to let you know that Mr. Thomas was terminated today, Lisi wrote in the email, which was obtained by the Globe. He said that if whoever is hired to take his place wants him around the program, hell offer his services. Hear more by downloading the latest episode of Rhode Island Report, available on. Monsignor Clarke school principal Arthur Lisi announced in a email to the schools community that they have fired Aaron Thomas, the former North Kingstown High School basketball coach accused of conducting inappropriate fat tests on naked male student athletes for more than two decades. Assist with hiring new team members, training new team members and acting as a mentor to coach and develop new teammates. Not just the 300 or so weight testing agreements that one of his lawyers told the Globe about last November. Instead, the statement detailed the process to discipline or fire any administrator or teacher, and how that requires a full evidentiary hearing. (WLNE) NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WLNE) Two more coaches within the North Kingstown School Department are facing allegations of inappropriate behavior. 4 Ponaganset, 62-57, in the 2022 semifinals.No. You have 20 years of history of people being uncomfortable with and seeing behaviors that anyone should be uncomfortable with, in the open, in the school, and the behaviors were not addressed, because the students were not comfortable in the environment they were in, Conlon said Wednesday. According to the letter, the middle school coach, who was also a DJ at middle school dances, would have girls twerking at school dances. The allegations are laid out in a letter and signed statements that lawyer Timothy Conlon sent Thursday to Assistant US Attorney Kevin L. Hubbard, who is working with Assistant US Attorney Amy R. Romero in the ongoing investigation into the Thomas complaints. 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. Why did it take so long for school officials to report him to the state Department of Education? Its hard to balance. Read more. If there was any doubt, his 17-1 record against fellow public schools and 2021 Division I Super Bowl title solidified it. How Aaron Thomas normalized taking teen boys into a closet or his office alone, and getting them to undress for purported body fat tests that involved him touching close to their groin and having them do stretches naked. In both of these instances, I recognized the seriousness of the matter, and I acted appropriately and immediately in the best interest of students, past and present, with the information I had at the time, Auger said at the meeting, held at the North Kingstown High School auditorium. NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. School Superintendent Phil Auger announced Wednesday that he was resigning immediately, referencing the ongoing investigation into The Town Council will discuss the reports findings and recommendations at its 7 p.m. meeting. To discipline or fire any administrator or north kingstown high school coach, and teachers who were told or were aware the. Of this course earns a certificate that students may present to the North Kingstown Department. Lawyers told the Globe about last November football ; North Kingstown on Wednesday sounded just like her former and. 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