NEWPORT, R.I. — The principal of Rogers High School, Jared Vance, has been placed on leave for the remainder of the school year after an independent investigation into a locker room assault involving a special-needs student found widespread failures in oversight, communication, and school culture.
The investigation, led by Col. Steven G. O’Donnell at the request of the Newport School Committee, examined the circumstances surrounding an Oct. 17, 2025 incident inside the boys’ football locker room. The episode was recorded and later made public by Newport Buzz on Nov. 21, prompting community outrage and calls for accountability.
While the full report has not been released due to federal privacy protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the executive summary outlines what it describes as “serious systemic failures” at the school.
According to the report, warning signs existed before the video surfaced publicly but were not escalated appropriately. Investigators cited breakdowns in supervision, inconsistent discipline, poor communication between teachers and administrators, and a lack of trust within the building.
“The incident has exposed and brought to the surface serious systemic failures that must be addressed,” O’Donnell wrote in the summary submitted to the School Committee on Feb. 2.
The report describes a “very large cultural gap” between teachers and administrators, saying misunderstandings about roles and responsibilities contributed to delayed responses and fractured accountability.
Among 27 recommendations, the investigator called for restructuring the high school’s administration, improving real-time communication, revising disciplinary policies, strengthening hazing and bullying prevention efforts, and establishing functional threat assessment and crisis response teams.
Additional recommendations include creating an anonymous reporting system, reviewing locker room supervision policies, improving cell phone coverage inside the building for safety reasons, enhancing collaboration with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League on active bystander training, and providing additional specialized training for staff.
On Feb. 10, the Newport School Committee unanimously approved a motion requesting a comprehensive review of district safety plans, school crisis teams and threat teams, along with discipline data. The findings are expected later this month.
School Committee Chairman James Dring said the district’s priority remains the safety and well-being of students and staff and that the committee will begin implementing recommendations as appropriate.
The investigation concluded that cultural issues at Rogers High had developed over time and were either ignored or addressed with what it called “the path of least resistance.”
The Oct. 17 incident, the report states, brought those long-standing concerns into public view.
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