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Barrington Social Studies Teacher Returning. Investigation Released. Curriculum Cost, $117K.
Unlike the lengthy time involved in investigating the Smithfield HS Football incident, Barrington conducted a swift and private, 3rd party investigation. It published that 700+ page on their school website – which is available, HERE:
In addition, the Barrington School Committee issued a statement, largely in reaction to the requests for more information, including school curriculum data as the teacher is a social studies teacher – as one parent said, “it’s not like he’s teaching math or music – his views on how he sees the world critically influences how he teaches social studies to our children.”
Here is one of two videos posted to Fillo’s online social media accounts:
Statement from Barrington School Committee:
Following the conclusion of Barrington Public School’s independent investigation into a high school teacher’s social media comments, the Superintendent informed us November 20 that he made a decision to issue appropriate discipline, end the teacher’s paid administrative leave, and return the teacher to work. The teacher was also notified of this decision on November 20. The School Committee supports the district administration’s decision.
The teacher will be returning to the classroom on December 1.
As this remains a personnel matter, we cannot discuss the details of the internal discipline issued.
The Barrington School Committee is sharing the below in full transparency, along with the public release of the investigator’s report now available on the district website.
First, this investigation was conducted by an experienced third-party attorney with deep expertise in First Amendment law, public school policy, and employee conduct. The investigator’s report concludes that the teacher violated the District’s social media policy, resulting in substantial disruption to the district.
National organizations, including large labor and advocacy groups, have made this case a national flashpoint. The National Education Association has indicated its intent to pursue aggressive litigation against the District—and against individual administrators and School Committee members personally—if the district took actions they deemed not satisfactory.
The financial implications of those lawsuits would reach into several hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, while risking the important search and retention of permanent administrative leadership in our district at a time when stability is essential. We are not willing to subject Barrington to that level of financial and operational risk.
We want to directly address safety. Over the past two months, Barrington Public Schools has experienced a level of national attention, online hostility, and threats unlike anything in recent district history. We have coordinated closely with Barrington Police, and through their partnership and support, they have been in coordination with the Rhode Island State Police, neighboring municipal departments, the FBI Providence Field Office, and the Rhode Island State Fusion Center.
Beginning immediately, there will be increased police presence across our district and enhanced monitoring of all inbound communications. The district has been meeting with school leadership, police, and our safety consultant to ensure we are going above and beyond to support the safety of our schools.
Threats of violence—against staff, students, or families—will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We will not tolerate hate, intimidation, or threats toward anyone in our community.
We recognize that members of our community hold strong and often conflicting views about the teacher’s posts and the district’s personnel decisions. We also acknowledge that some may draw comparisons to unrelated teacher terminations made three years ago during the COVID vaccine mandate period. None of the School Committee members, administrators, or legal counsel involved in those earlier decisions are still in their roles today. This current School Committee, legal counsel, and administration are responding to this current situation using today’s facts, today’s laws, and today’s circumstances. We are prepared and ready to move forward together as a district.
What we cannot and will not do is allow outside political groups on any side of the spectrum to turn Barrington into a national pawn. What has unfolded over the past two months has been an unwelcome distraction that has caused harm to our schools and anxiety for our families. Our responsibility is to protect the students and staff of Barrington, keep our focus on education, and ensure stability for our district.
We know that some families may wish to speak with their school administrators about their student’s needs, and the school will work with them to ensure appropriate support, including class placements.
Counselors will be available for any student who needs support in processing the past two months, which have been unsettling and upsetting for many. The district’s professionals have also developed additional mental health resources available for students.
Our priority now is to move forward, to rebuild trust, and to refocus our attention on the work that truly matters: educating and supporting every student in our community. We want to give an outstanding thank you to our dedicated district leaders, teachers, and all staff who have remained focused on the mission of our district.
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From The Goldwater Institute:
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Rhode Islanders were understandably alarmed when a local social studies teacher posted a disturbing video mocking the conservative activist’s death. But when one mom requested records to find out what students were being taught in his classroom, Barrington Public Schools leaders provided a cost estimate so astronomical—$117,000—that they essentially assured the materials would remain hidden from public view.
Barrington High School social studies teacher Benjamin Fillo’s curriculum materials are public records and Rhode Islanders have a right to see them. So, last week James McGlone, a lawyer with the Goldwater Institute’s pro-bono American Freedom Network, sent a letter to the district demanding that it either drastically revise its inflated cost estimate or produce the records in full at no charge.
“It should never cost $117,000 to see the curriculum materials of a single social studies teacher in a public school because those materials are already paid for by the taxpayer,” said Nicole Solas, the Rhode Island mom who requested the records. “Barrington Public School District’s exorbitant fee weaponizes Rhode Island’s Access to Public Records Act to block access to public information about what students are being taught instead of simply handing over the materials free of charge.”
The saga over the records began when Nicole came across videos by Fillo—recorded shortly after Charlie Kirk’s killing—in which he called Kirk a “piece of garbage” and added “this is what happens…bye, Charlie.” In another video, he callously declared that “Charlie Kirk is not in heaven right now.”
Concerned that a public school teacher—who also happened to be co-president of the local National Education Association chapter—would publicly mock the death of someone with different political beliefs, Nicole sought to learn more about what was being taught in his classroom. She submitted a public records request to Barrington Public Schools asking for Fillo’s curriculum materials and any email correspondence from his work account over the last year containing the word “Trump.”
These are straightforward records that should be easy to produce, but rather than being transparent with the public, the district is hiding this information behind a prohibitive fee estimate. Last month, Barrington Public Schools claimed that producing Fillo’s classroom materials would require retrieving information from 157 courses taught over 15 years, spread across three different learning management systems—a task they said would add up to an astounding 7,735.5 hours of labor. Not only that, the search for “Trump” in Fillo’s emails from a single year yielded 789 results.
Their total cost estimate to provide the records—$117,130.50.
As AFN attorney James McGlone’s letter to the district notes, since Fillo’s comments became public, he has been placed on administrative leave, the NEA removed him from his leadership position, and the Barrington School Committee retained counsel to investigate the matter. Students even came forward with evidence of political bias in his classroom. Clearly, there is a strong public interest in reviewing what he was teaching. The district made no claim that any of these records were exempt from disclosure—it is simply hiding information behind an unreasonable price tag.
Goldwater’s landmark Academic Transparency Act requires public schools to post their learning materials online. But in Rhode Island and other states without such laws, concerned citizens like Nicole often face excessive costs and bureaucratic roadblocks when trying to access basic information about their children’s education.
Parents should never be priced out of knowing what’s happening in their children’s classrooms. And Goldwater’s American Freedom Network of pro bono attorneys stands ready to help parents in every state access the information to which they’re entitled.
The Goldwater Institute is the nation’s preeminent liberty organization scoring real wins for freedom from coast to coast. We’re committed to empowering all Americans to live freer, happier lives, and we accomplish tangible results for liberty by working in state courts, legislatures, and communities nationwide to advance, defend, and strengthen the freedom guaranteed by the constitutions of the United States and the 50 states.
Kamron Kompani is the Legal Programs Manager at the Goldwater Institute.
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Several education advocates have requested the curriculum used by this teacher as he is a social studies teacher and deeply held views can impact the interpretation and information taught in his class. Barrington has responded that they would ask for $117,000 to gather and produce that material.
This is a developing story…
RINewsToday’s original story, published on November 13, 2025