Providence Assistant Superintendent Olayinka Alege’s Foot Fetish

By Mya Miller
Lion’s Roar Staff

At the start of the 2020 through 2021 school year in June Providence superintendent, Harrison
Peters, hired foot massaging assistant superintendent, Olayinka Alege.
According to the newspaper South Florida SunSentinel, in 2009 Olayinka Alege came from
Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida, where he was the assistant principal at King High School,
in Tampa, Florida. It wasn’t unusual to be called to his office, but one day a group of five boys with low
scores left his office, reporting that as a punishment Alege forced them to take off their shoes so he could
squeeze their toes. The five boys reportedly told officers that Alege asked them on numerous occasions to
take off their shoes and socks behind closed doors, so he could “pop” their toes.
One student said Alege “popped” his toes about 20 times, including the previous day. He stated
that it happened so frequently that he simply just offered his foot everytime upon entering his office.
Another student said Alege popped his toes by, “pulling them out and bending them down.” He
said it was a form of punishment since Alege could not hit them.
Yet even when a number of students came forward stating Alege had “popped” their toes and that
they were uncomfortable with it Alege still was given no such form of corporal punishment. Spokesman
Stephan Hegarty said that the district did not consider it to be corporal punishment, because Alege had
neither harmed students nor threatened to do so.
Furthermore, according to The Providence Journal, recently in April of 2021, Alege was charged
with battery and assault when he grabbed a man’s foot at a gym in Warwick, removed his shoe and sock
and began to massage the foot while the boy protested.
“The juvenile man tried to pull his foot away, but the male would not let go,” a police man who
had a warrant to arrest Olayinka Alege, who pleaded guilty to everything.
Yet, on April 20 the incident at the gym was caught on video. Alege was charged with simple
assault, a misdemeanor.
All of these accusations, which have been public, are making Providence administration and
Providence parents question why was this “toes popper” hired to be a superintendent in the first place?
Ironically, according to The Providence Journal, Providence superintendent Harrison Peters
surprisingly also worked in Hillsborough County Public Schools in Florida at the same time as Olayinka
Alege. In 2020 Harrison Peters was also the one who hired this “toe popper”, bringing him up to
Providence all the way from Tampa, Florida. Peters also moved up from Hillsborough County in
February of 2020 when he was hired in the Providence public school system.
On Monday night, Peters told members of the Senate Oversight Committee that he had spoken
with Alege, who convinced Peters that the behavior would never be repeated, calling it “misguided
discipline”.
According to The Providence Journal, “...Peters never told anyone about Olayinka Alege’s past
actions- not the hiring committee, not the state education commissioner, and not the teachers or families
in the School District.”
According to The Providence Journal, Peter stated, “I’m sick, frustrated and hurting. I put my
trust in someone and my trust was betrayed.”
Many Senators thought otherwise, and grilled Peters to get the facts about what he knew and
when he knew it. Overall the Senators were not happy with his answers.
 Senators called the hiring process completely and utterly flawed, questioning why Peters never
brought Alege’s history to the hiring committee. They were also stunned and dismayed as to why Peter’s
didn’t ask Alege to resign after he allegedly claimed to have found out the news.
According to The Providence Journal, Senator Meghan Kallman stated, “Non-consensual
touching is grooming behavior. It’s pretty disturbing.” Many Senators believe that Alege was “grooming”
the boys in preparation for sexual behavior.
State Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-green has asked Harrison Peters to resign, as the
Providence School Board decides what to do with Olayinka Alege.
When Alege was hired many Providence teachers and parents knew about Alege’s past actions.
They even tried to bring it up to State Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-green, but they were
silenced. Many teachers also believe that Peters and Alege were “best buds” out in Tampa, Florida and
Peter just hired Alege as a favor, and is now covering it all up. Peters also received many emails from
concerned parents and teachers saying not to hire Alege. So how could he not have known about his
“bud’s” past actions?
Yet, so many questions are still left unanswered: When did Harrison Peters know about Olayinka
Alege’s past actions? Did the State Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-green ever know about
Olayinka Alege’s assaults? Why did none of the higher ranking officials in the Providence Public School
System ever just google Olayinka Alege’s name after hearing the teacher’s opinions, or look at the public
links to the articles about Alege provided by the teachers? Was it all just one big cover up by the
Providence Public School Board?