Aaron Thomas, 54, resigned from North Kingstown High School in June after the accusations became public. He had been teaching and coaching at the school since the 1990s.
A spokesperson for Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha confirmed the investigation this week, but did not provide additional details. Thomas is not currently facing any criminal charges.
John MacDonald, Thomas’ attorney, said that the ex-coach did conduct the tests using skinfold calipers, which are used to assess skinfold thickness in order to estimate body fat. These tests were done with parental consent, MacDonald said, citing hundreds of consent forms obtained by Thomas.
But the consent form, which was obtained and viewed by the Boston Globe, did not mention that nudity would be involved in the tests. MacDonald acknowledged this, and said that conducting the tests was easier for Thomas when the players weren’t wearing clothes.
The consent form says that the purpose of the tests is to assess the body fat composition of athletes and test their muscle strength and development.
“The program is designed to help student-athletes to reach their full potential,” the form said, noting that the tests are voluntary and taking them doesn’t help or hinder a student’s chances of making a team.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
“The testing started on the upper body with the shirt off, and go lower with underwear on or off,” MacDonald told the Globe. “It was simply quicker to do with underwear not in the way.”
Thomas measured the adductor muscles of the inner thigh but did not touch the groin area, MacDonald said.
Jennifer Lima, a member of the North Kingstown School Committee, said this week that her now-adult son recently told her that he was checked by Thomas. She said it’s possible she signed a form for fat testing, among all the forms parents sign for kids playing sports, but she did not consent for him to be undressed.
The tests first came to light when a former student told the school department in 2018. At that point, school administrators told Thomas that testing could be done only in the locker room with at least two adults present.
More former students came forward this year, with some alleging Thomas would ask them, “Are you shy, or not shy?” Students who said they were not shy removed their underwear for the test.
North Kingstown police told school officials in September that they were not pursuing criminal charges, according to the school committee. But local police are now cooperating with the attorney general’s office.
The school committee is also investigating.
Thomas got another job at a private middle school in South Kingstown in September but was fired last week after the allegations became public.
