Students and parents push Batavia USD 101 to add girls flag football; petition, turnout cited
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Summary
Middle- and high-school students and parents urged the Batavia USD 101 board to add girls flag football for 2026–27, presenting testimony, participation data and a petition with 918 verified signatures and asking the district to clarify proposal deadlines and next steps.
Students and parents told the Batavia USD 101 Board of Education on Monday that a girls flag‑football program should be added at the high‑school level to preserve local access, expand opportunity and create a pipeline from middle‑school clubs.
The request came during public comment from a series of Rotolo Middle School and Batavia High School students and parents who described growing participation in club play and said that without a Batavia High School team many girls must travel to neighboring towns to continue competing. "We are growing with new and amazing players from all over, but we would much rather be playing with our friends and family," eighth grader Marissa Hunt told the board.
The students and families presented examples of sustained interest and participation. Rotolo coaches and parents said practices averaged roughly 37 girls at Rotolo this season, and Leah Zimbera told the board her petition had 918 verified signatures from students, parents and community members in support of a Batavia girls team.
Parents emphasized that the program could be run with limited new equipment and would share existing facilities and fields. "We are ready and willing to jump in fundraising," parent Jessica Selvick said, adding families prefer spending locally rather than paying for out‑of‑district programs.
Several speakers asked the board for clearer procedural information. Don Husk, a parent speaker, said there appear to be critical internal deadlines — in March for proposing programs and in August for conference participation — and asked the district to be transparent about the timeline and the steps required for adding a new sport.
Board members thanked the students and parents and asked administration to return more detail on the process. The chair invited students and district staff to continue working together on next steps; two board members volunteered to convene a small working group to develop a clear proposal and timeline for the board to consider.
Next steps: Board members requested a staff report with specific program deadlines, a cost and facility plan, and an explanation of conference deadlines and athletic approvals before taking a formal decision.
