Richmond parents and residents press Chariho leaders on snow clearing and student safety at Richmond Elementary

At the public‑comment segment of the Feb. 10 Chariho Regional School Committee meeting, several residents described unsafe conditions at Richmond Elementary following a major snowstorm and urged swift corrective action.

Bob Burns said his daughter, an honor‑roll student, received repeated tardiness write‑ups when doors opened at 7:20 a.m.; he said parents should not be expected to stand outside for 20 minutes in freezing weather and asked the committee to review pickup operations and parking. Andrew, a Richmond resident, said sidewalks remained uncleared for more than two weeks after the storm and described children walking in the school parking lot and, on some occasions, on Route 138, narrowly missing large vehicles.

Scott Sunderland, who identified himself as the plowing vendor for Richmond School, responded that his company had followed instructions from public works about where to place snow, that the asphalt path does not extend to the Route 138 area, and that he volunteered not to charge the district for extra work performed that day. He said he has plowed the site for three years without prior issues.

Superintendent Gina acknowledged the concerns and said district staff had already communicated with the vendor and public works, pulled videotape to review how the work was completed, and would tighten contract language on plowing and snow removal. She noted efforts to revise pickup procedures (placard systems) and to ensure staff do not exit vehicles during pick‑up, and she urged community members to contact district staff directly for follow‑up.

Next steps: the superintendent said the district would review videotape evidence, reexamine contractual scope with the vendor, and consider operational changes (placards, revised traffic flow) to reduce on‑site safety risk. Community members requested updates and asked the issue be placed on a future agenda if problems recur.