Glocester council authorizes president to get cost estimate for possible independent investigation of Foster‑Glocester high‑school incident

The Glocester Town Council voted Feb. 19 to authorize the council president to obtain an estimated cost for a potential independent investigation into an alleged incident at Foster‑Glocester Regional High School and to reach out to Foster’s town council about interest in working together.

The motion followed an extended discussion in which several council members said the school committee—an elected body—has primary purview over school matters, while others said the matter requires independent review if the school committee has not acted. "It should be an independent investigation that's going on to find out what happened," the council’s vice president said, noting the need to determine who was involved and how to prevent recurrence.

Supporters of the authorization emphasized accountability and said the initial step is to collect information on likely costs and legal options, not to commit funds. "I'm fine to do it," the council president said, adding that the council would seek basic information and ask Foster whether it would be interested in moving forward jointly. Some members noted potential legal limits on subpoena power and that an investigation’s depth would affect cost.

Councilors agreed to two limited actions: (1) authorize the president to obtain a ballpark cost estimate for an independent probe, and (2) authorize the president to discuss with the Foster Town Council whether Foster would join or split costs if the review proceeded. The council asked the president to solicit basic answers on scope, cost and whether Foster officials would be willing to participate before any further commitment.

The council did not approve any expenditure at the meeting; members said they will return findings and legal options for consideration at a future session.