GLOCESTER – More than 200 parents, students, staff and community members served by the Foster Glocester Regional School District have signed a petition demanding an immediate, independent, internal investigation of an alleged relationship between a gym teacher and a former student at Ponaganset High School, with submissions documenting accounts of a well-known pattern of inappropriate behavior and inaction on the part of school officials.
The petition, started by parent Laurie Gaddis Barrett, follows recent allegations against former gym teacher Alisha Crins, who resigned from the position this month and is now under investigation by the Rhode Island State Police.
An online form titled “Chieftains Unsilenced,” offers respondents the chance to weigh in anonymously, and to share specific knowledge about staff-student interactions. Barrett says she’s been “shocked and appalled” at some of the replies.
She shared a summary of the submissions with NRI NOW this week, saying the accounts outline “serious and longstanding allegations of professional misconduct, administrative negligence, and a compromised school culture.”
Respondents, she notes, were adamant that the relationship between Crins and a student who graduated last year was an “open secret” among students, faculty, and administration for years.
Supt. Renee Palazzo, meanwhile, stated at a School Committee meeting last week that she received no complaints about the teacher, and had no knowledge of the situation until earlier this month, when she immediately notified authorities. A statement issued on Friday, Oct. 10 by School Committee Co-Chairpersons Cindy Joyce and Eileen Cook notes that the district was contacted by the Attorney General’s Office and told that the matter must be handled with strict confidentiality, and that the state police investigation should take precedence over any internal questioning.
“The school administration has been working tirelessly to cooperate with the investigation, which is still ongoing,” wrote the co-chairs. “It is frustrating that more information cannot be shared at this time, but we must have patience and respect until the process it is concluded.”
For Barrett, that statement came as a call to action. She said that under federal Title IX law, schools must promptly investigate sex-based harassment and assaults on students with “actual knowledge” of the situation to prevent hostile environments.
“Waiting for the state police investigation to conclude risks deliberate indifference, exposing our district to federal scrutiny —including OCR complaints to the U.S. Department of Education that could trigger audits, funding cuts, and lawsuits,” she notes in the petition.
“Sexual assault falls under federal guidelines,” Barrett told NRI NOW. “It’s my understanding and belief that they can’t blow off a Title 9 investigation. They still have to do something because of the impact on the other students.”
As of Monday morning, Barrett said a petition launched over the weekend that demands prompt internal investigation had 235 responses.
The submissions included multiple firsthand and secondhand accounts describing inappropriate physical interactions between Crins and the student, including “grinding” at school dances such as prom, according to Barrett’s summary.
“I mentioned it to a teacher and nothing happened from there,” noted one response. “It was very disturbing and ruined the dance for me.”
Comments reportedly describe the gym teacher as “handsy,” “always touching/hugging/hanging on’ the boys,” and note that she “would randomly caress their backs.”
Another respondent, identified as a former student, recalls seeing the teacher/student pair together many times outside of school, including dinners and the beach.
Current and former students also pointed to alleged favoritism toward boys inside the classroom, with accounts of flirting and touching, and one respondent stating that the teacher would allow boys into the girls locker room during class time.
“Literally everyone knew including teachers and admin that she was very close and touchy with boys,” notes one response.
“A dominant theme throughout the submissions is the assertion that school and district administration were aware of the conduct and failed to act, contributing to a culture of impunity,” notes Barrett.
Responses included the statements, “the school acting like they didn’t know is a flat out lie,” and “School District claiming they had no [knowledge] is the biggest lie of the year.”
One alumnus reportedly stated, “This isn’t new. My daughter graduated two years ago and I heard the rumors while she was in school.”
Another student wrote “Every student had known since my freshman year, we would always joke about it.”
The feedback, Barrett notes, was not limited to the recent allegations, and included many accounts of students discussing the problem with school authorities.
One parent wrote, “I know students personally who reported this teacher to multiple teachers in this school and were brushed off. They made their complaints to teachers in 2022-2023.”
Another student mentioned reporting the teacher to a counselor, and said the response was “you don’t need to be paying attention to things like that, and if you do I don’t want to hear about it.”
Yet another student said that Crins was questioned about her inappropriate behavior, but the school’s only action was to move her from teaching underclassmen to upperclassmen, despite the fact that the classes are often combined.
Barrett said that while she herself had not heard about the gym teacher until recent allegations came to light, it’s not the first time the district has faced such issues.
“I’ve been aware of others that were reported, and parent complaints and student complaints were dismissed,” she said. “It was a big deal back in 2023 about a different teacher.”
She said the survey documents a clear reluctance among teachers to speak up, and signals an environment where student and parent concerns are not taken seriously.
“There’s a definite culture,” Barrett said.
Palazzo, who served as principal at PHS for seven years before taking on the role of superintendent in 2022, expressed frustration last week with ongoing public discussion and reports on the situation.
“People can say what they want and put information out there that might not be true, and I have to remain silent as a superintendent,” Palazzo said. “That’s a very difficult place to be in, because everyone else can say what they want on Facebook or judge things openly.”
The superintendent has directed all media questions to the state police, who have not responded to requests for additional information.
But for Barrett, it seems the educator’s frustration misses the point.
“Dr. Palazzo is not the victim here, the student was,” she said.
Barrett said she plans to present the complete report on the petition to members of the School Committee.
