Pembroke residents urge school committee to push MIAA and review athletics policy for girls' sports
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Summary
Multiple Pembroke residents urged the Pembroke School Committee to press the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and the district to prioritize fairness and safety for girls' sports, while other residents urged sensitivity and reliance on existing MIAA rules; committee agreed to discuss a possible MIAA letter and policy JJIB at a future meeting but made no formal motion.
Dozens of community members addressed the Pembroke School Committee during the meeting's public-comment period, centering a debate over whether participation in girls' school sports should be determined by biological sex rather than gender identity.
Chrissy Nelson told the panel she handed the committee an NCAA policy and a Pennsylvania school policy example and asked the district to "contact the MIAA and formally ask them to change their rules so that males cannot compete in female sports for our girls." She argued that "playing against male athletes endangers our girls physically and emotionally," and said allowing male athletes on girls' teams has cost Pembroke girls recognition and college recruiting opportunities.
Several other speakers — including Jean Comfort and Claire Abernathy — described injuries or lost opportunities they attributed to boys competing in girls' events. Simon Amaya Price, a speaker who said he previously identified as transgender, framed part of his remarks around the harm of affirmation he experienced and urged the committee to enforce what he called the law and moral standards.
At the other end of the public-comment period, Carrie O'Brien asked the committee not to change local policy and defended the MIAA's existing approach, saying the MIAA protects "bona fide identity" and that research cited to the committee indicates gender-affirming hormone therapy typically suppresses testosterone to female physiological ranges. O'Brien also cited CDC data on transgender youth mental-health risks and urged sensitivity and inclusion.
Committee members discussed whether to draft a letter to the MIAA and whether to revisit athletic policy JJIB. Members said they would place discussion of an MIAA letter and potential policy review on a future agenda and seek legal opinion before taking formal action; no formal motion to send a letter was recorded that evening.
The public-comment exchange set the issue as a district priority for follow-up: committee members requested time on a future agenda to discuss both sending a letter to the MIAA and reviewing policy JJIB, with legal counsel input recommended.
What's next: the committee agreed to schedule a discussion on the MIAA letter and a possible policy review at an upcoming meeting; no changes to district policy or formal commitments were recorded at this meeting.