Complaints Against Ex-N. Kingstown Coach Not Reported By School

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — A federal investigation has been opened by the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's Office into whether the North Kingstown School Department failed to handle reports of sexual misconduct by former high school coach Aaron Thomas involving students.

In a complaint filed Monday, five former high school students came forward saying they were asked to take naked "fat tests" by Thomas multiple times, adding that school officials ignored their allegations against him for years and stalled to report him.

This comes after one student told investigators he was sexually molested by Thomas since the age of 13 during these fat tests. The allegation was part of an 87-page investigation report WPRI 12 obtained in a public records request last month.

Thomas used his private cell phone and email address to contact teenaged boys at the school to set them up for one-on-one "fat tests," outside of school, the complaint said.

School officials say they had been notified of Thomas' interactions with young male students going back to 2017, with lawyer Timothy J. Conlon alleging even as early as 2016. However, the complaint said, school officials never told parents anything, the Globe reported Monday.

According to WPRI 12, which first reported this story, Superintendent Phil Auger kept Thomas on as a coach for more than two years after some students came forward. This has led many outraged parents to call for Auger's resignation. Auger said he did not know the extent of the allegations in 2018.

"If I had the 2021 information in 2018, I would have initiated the suspension and termination then," Auger said in November.

The state Department of Education says they were not informed until three years after the first complaint.

When Thomas cleaned out his office in 2021, he took documents with him that fail to mention anything about nudity, and a removable hard drive is still missing, the Globe reported.

The Globe reported an extensive explanation behind the body composition tests Thomas would conduct, asking student-athletes if they were "shy or not shy," in a private room. The Globe said if the student said "not shy" he was expected to take off his underwear and allow Thomas to pinch and measure their inner thighs and groins with skinfold calipers.

Thomas denied he has done anything illegal.

Related

• Ex-Judge To Review Naked 'Fat Test' Investigations Into Former Coach
• N. Kingstown Parents Urge Superintendent To Resign Over Fat Tests
• Naked 'Fat Tests' Were Legal Says Ex-N. Kingstown Coach's Lawyer
• Ex-RI Teacher Fired From New Job Over Naked 'Fat Tests': Report
• N. Kingstown Schools Knew About Coach's Naked 'Fat Tests': Report