School officials are still developing policies and guidelines on how and when the new track at Barrington High School can be used by the public. 

Meanwhile, a BHS alum who is working on a project to run on all 50 tracks across Rhode Island has provided a list of which facilities are open to the public and which ones are closed or have restricted access. 

In an email to school officials, Alice Paul, a Barrington resident and member of the local running group Women on the Run, highlighted Barrington High School graduate Erica Knighton’s work compiling access information on running tracks statewide. The spreadsheet shows that most tracks for public high schools are not locked.

“While I’m sending this spreadsheet to help demonstrate that public access is the norm across Rhode Island, especially at public schools, I also want to encourage Barrington to be a leader for other towns,” wrote Paul in an email to Barrington High School Principal Christopher Ashley and Director of Athletics George Finn. “Supporting our local running groups and the broader community in staying active safely is certainly an example we can aspire to.”

A number of Barrington residents have voiced their opposition to the decision to lock the new track at Barrington High School’s Victory Field. The residents have reached out to school officials, sent letters to the Barrington Times, and most recently spoke during the public comment portion of a Barrington School Committee meeting. 

The Barrington Times reached out to Finn on Thursday, Dec. 11 to see if there was an update to the situation. Finn wrote that officials are still working on developing policies about how and when the track can be used by the public. 

Paul, during the recent school committee meeting, said that six months (the duration of the construction project to build the new track and field) was plenty of time to draft thoughtful policies governing use of the track.

Open or off-limits?

Following is information compiled by Erica Knighton detailing the accessibility of running tracks across Rhode Island:

• Max Read Field, Pawtucket — NA

• Brown University, Providence — locked

• Rhode Island College, Providence — open to public, M-F 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Providence College, Providence — open to public

• URI, South Kingstown — new track under construction

• Bryant University, Smithfield — open to public

• Francis L Corrigan Sports Complex, Central Falls — open to public

• LaSalle Academy, Providence — locked

• Moses Brown, Providence — restricted access but open most of the time

• Bishop Hendricken, Warwick — open to public

• RI School for the Deaf, Providence — open to public

• Portsmouth Abbey — open to public

• St. Georges School, Newport — open to public

• Pierce Memorial Field, East Providence — open to public

• Barrington High School — locked

• Cranston West — restricted access but open most of the time

• East Providence High School — locked

• Hope High School, Providence — open to public

• Johnston High School — locked

• Mt Pleasant High School, Providence — open to public, M-F 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Narragansett High School — restricted access but open most of the time

• North Kingstown High School — restricted access but open most of the time

• Burrillville Middle School — open to public

• Coventry High School — open to public

• Cumberland High School — open to public

• Curtis Corner Middle School — open to public

• Dr. EA Ricci Middle School, North Providence — open to public

• East Greenwich High School — open to public

• Exeter-West Greenwich High School — open to public

• Kickmuit Middle School — open to public

• Lincoln High School — open to public

• North Smithfield High School — open to public

• Pilgrim High School, Warwick — will be demolished for new school

• Ponaganset High School, North Scituate — open to public

• Portsmouth High School — open to public

• Rogers High School —under construction

• Smithfield High School — open to public

• Tiverton High School — open to public

• Toll Gate High School, Warwick — will be demolished for new school

• West Warwick High School — open to public

• Middletown Middle School — open to public

• Chariho High School — open to public

• Warwick Vets Middle School — open to public

• Westerly High School — open to public

• Scituate High School — NA

• Woonsocket High School — under construction