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Public commenters urge athletics forfeiture protections; committee advances revised athletics policy on first reading
Summary
A resident urged the committee to adopt a policy allowing athletes or coaches to forfeit matches without retaliation; the policy subcommittee presented a first reading amendment to ensure "student athlete chooses not to participate" will not be penalized and the committee approved the first reading.
Public comment at the School Committee meeting included calls for an athletics policy change to protect students and coaches who choose to forfeit contests on safety or comfort grounds.
Josh Natale of 96 Bicentennial Avenue addressed the committee during public comment and said he supported a proposed amendment to the athletics policy to permit athletes and coaches to forfeit a match without retaliation: "I'm just here again to show my support for the, proposed change in policy that, athletes and coaches should be able to forfeit a match without any retaliation. I think that's important for the safety of our students," Natale said.
Committee members noted the athletics policy had been vetted in subcommittee and had been through a first‑reading process. In the subcommittee report, members said the Interscholastic Athletics policy (filed JJIB) was revised in two places; one change replaces the term "player" with "student athlete" and the committee removed duplicative forfeiture language because forfeiture procedures are governed by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and applicable law. The revised paragraph reads in part that if a "student athlete chooses not to participate, the district will not penalize the student athlete for not participating."
A motion to approve the policy with the amendments was made and seconded; committee members voted in favor of the first reading. Committee members emphasized that final policy adoption requires a second reading and any additional public comment at that time.
The committee and staff noted that the policy must conform to MIAA rules and federal and state laws; the subcommittee removed language that duplicated MIAA forfeiture rules and clarified local protections for non‑participation.
