Survivor testimony prompts Glocester council to ask solicitor to draft resolution seeking independent school investigation

Following public comment from a survivor and Foster Town Council vice president, the Glocester Town Council on March 5 voted to have its solicitor draft a resolution urging the Foster-Glocester regional school committee to initiate an independent third-party investigation into allegations dating back decades at Ponaganset schools.

Heidi Rogers, who identified herself as a survivor and as vice president of the Foster Town Council, told the council she had not previously spoken publicly about her experience and urged the towns to set aside funds for an independent review. "This is a big step, I believe. Passing the resolution ... we need to protect the kids," Rogers said. She described incidents she said began in the late 1970s and early 1980s at Ponaganset and urged Glocester to join Foster in seeking accountability.

Councilors discussed options including requesting the regional school committee to act under its charter, sending a letter, or adopting a resolution. Members noted independent investigations can be expensive—"tens of thousands of dollars," per the council's review of recent cases—but said a formal resolution signals how seriously the towns view the allegations. One councilor said the school committee's charter empowers it to "inquire into the conduct" of school affairs and to initiate such investigations.

The council voted to authorize the solicitor to draft a resolution that would incorporate facts presented and request action from the regional committee. The motion carried by voice vote; the council emphasized the first step would be to ask the school committee to take action, with a possible town-funded independent review if the committee did not move.

Why it matters: Survivors and members of both towns said that local independent reviews in other Rhode Island districts led to clearer findings and recommendations; proponents at the meeting said such a review could identify whether reporting and oversight failures occurred and recommend policy changes.

What the council did: Directed the town solicitor to work on a resolution for council consideration that would request the Foster-Glocester regional school committee conduct or commission an independent review. No formal appropriation was approved at the March 5 meeting; participants discussed potential funding and next procedural steps.

Next steps: Solicitor to draft language for a future council vote; councilors signaled intent to forward a resolution to the regional committee and to discuss possible budget set-asides at forthcoming budget workshops.