The abrupt resignation of six long-term educators at St. Peter School on Oct. 7 left the school community in a state of uncertainty and confusion. On Monday, Principal Denise Alcala was placed on administrative leave effective immediately. Alcala is new to St. Peter School this year.

The changes in leadership were communicated to school families through a letter from Pastor Roger Gagne.

Kevin Peloquin, assistant director of education for the Diocese of Providence, has been asked to serve as interim principal. Prior to joining the Catholic School Office in July, Peloquin served as principal at Father Doyle School in Coventry from 2019-2025. He had already begun acclimating to the school community by serving as a substitute in the middle school.

Father Gregory Stowe, pastor at St. Joseph’s Parish and School in West Warwick, will also be assisting with leading the school alongside Father Gagne.

“In the coming days, Fr. Stowe and Mr. Peloquin will be working tirelessly in coordination with you and with the diocesan leadership to support and strengthen St. Peter School while navigating through this difficult time,” Fr. Gagne said to parents in the letter.

“I’m shocked,” said a parent who spoke under the condition of anonymity. She said a meeting on Friday with families indicated that the superintendent of Catholic schools and the diocese fully supported Alcala.

The parent said she is “cautiously optimistic” and believes this is a “step in the direction of getting answers.”

Parents raised concerns

After three days of demanding answers from St. Peter School administration in the wake of the resignations, a meeting open to all school families took place on Friday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m.

The lower church hall approached maximum capacity with parents hoping to learn more about the unexpected resignations and the school’s path forward. Parents expressed feeling frustrated with the lack of information they received and said they were considering looking at other schooling options.

The meeting with families was led by Superintendent William Klements, Peloquin and Fr. Stowe. Alcala made a brief appearance and then returned to the school building when Klements said she was needed to continue learning activities.

“They gave us the same evasive political responses,” said another parent of a student who requested anonymity. “It was like [Klements] practiced saying this, no matter what the questions were.”

The diocese confirmed to media at the meeting that several teachers had filed complaints against Alcala prior to the resignations. The diocese launched an internal investigation that showed no wrongdoing on Alcala’s part as of Friday’s meeting.

 According to the diocese, all Catholic school employees are required to sign agreements of fidelity, confidentiality and arbitration each year. What is unclear is if any changes were made to those documents this year.

In a letter from Klements to at least St. Kevin School in Warwick, he asked admissions staff to not move forward with applications from St. Peter School students because it may not be in “students’ best interest to move too quickly in situations like these.”

However, the concerns raised by parents at the meeting had an impact on the administration’s actions. “We heard you,” said Fr. Gagne in Monday’s letter. “And as a result of some of the concerns that you raised, we conducted some additional fact-finding and now have some additional changes.”

Another meeting for parents took place Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., past the Beacon’s press deadline.

Rebuilding school community

The parent who left Friday’s meeting unsatisfied had higher hopes come Tuesday afternoon.

“Hopefully with Fr. Stowe and the team he’s putting together, we’ll be back better than we were before,” she said in an interview. “We have a fighting chance as long as we can all come together and work through it together.”

Fr. Stowe submitted a written statement to the Beacon on Tuesday outlining his new role at St. Peter School.

“I have known Fr. Gagne since I was a teenager as my cousins attended St. Peter School. He has been a priest for 50 years, 28 of which at this parish. I have great admiration and respect for him and this community,” he wrote. “Our hope is to work tirelessly to fill the open positions and provide confidence to parents that Saint Peter School remains the right place for their children’s education.”

“From the conversations I had with parents this [Tuesday] morning at drop off, they love this school, they love this community, and they love this parish,” he continued. “Several expressed their gratitude and hope that things will be okay.”