LEOMINSTER – Leominster High School senior Ren Patel is speaking out against a new potential athletic policy that she says targets transgender students. The policy was brought up in the last school committee meeting earlier this month.
“I believe it’s unfair because it gives people the opportunity to in a sense, discriminate based on someone else’s sex, saying I don’t want to play against you because your of opposite sex,” Patel said.
The big debate centers around a part of the policy that states no student-athlete or coach of a single-sex team shall be penalized by the district for forfeiting or refusing to play in a game against an opposing team because that team includes a member of the opposite sex. In July, the Dighton-Rehoboth School Committee put a similar policy on the books.
“I think it’s dangerous to have a policy like this in place it very clearly targets transgender people,” Patel said.
Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella, who is chair of the school committee, says the policy is currently in the hands of the sub-committee for review. “It’s more important that everybody takes a look at this from all vantage points. In the end do what’s best for students,” Mazzarella said.
Student plans petition against policy
Patel says she plans to create a petition against the policy for students to sign. She says it’s important for people to be aware of the issue and to be able to speak out during the next school committee meeting.
“Many proponents of this policy are framing it as a safety issue but at the end of the day it’s a sport and a lot of people going into it understand that is something that comes with it,” Patel said.
The school committee will meet again in January to discuss the policy and allow for the public to weigh in before they take a vote.
