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Parents and residents urge Leominster school committee to codify protections for girls' sports
Summary
During public comment the committee heard parents call for revisions to the JJIB athletics policy so coaches and female athletes can opt out of contests they consider unfair or unsafe; speakers asked the board to put protective language into policy rather than rely on informal coach discretion.
Public commenters at the Leominster School Committee meeting urged the district to strengthen its JJIB athletics policy to protect girls— competitive opportunities. Two residents said coaches and female athletes should have a formal opt-out in policy when a matchup feels unfair or unsafe.
"From a physical and competitive standpoint, it is important to let girls have their own space to compete and to win," a parent told the committee during public comment, urging written protections for girls-only competition.
Bob Greska of Crestfield Lane said the district has discussed the issue for over a year and asked the committee to "push forward the entire policy that allows both the coaches and the female students the opportunity to back out" of contests they deem inappropriate. He said protections currently described by staff are useful but "it's not in policy," leaving decisions subject to opinion.
Committee members did not take immediate action during that segment of the meeting. The public-comment speakers asked the school committee to direct the policy subcommittee to draft explicit language ensuring coaches and athletes are shielded from unilateral reversals in practice and competitive assignments.
The committee later agreed to keep policy work on the agenda and to send items to the policy subcommittee; no formal vote on JJIB policy language was recorded at this meeting. The request from speakers aligned with an earlier staff presentation item listed later on the agenda that the board may use when drafting or revising policy language.
The next procedural step members flagged was to refer the JJIB topic back to the policy committee for formal review and possible redrafting at a future meeting.
