Mass. field hockey team opts to forfeit rather than play against boy

The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School girls’ field hockey team decided to forfeit a game rather than face a team that had a member of the opposite sex on it, citing safety concerns. 

In a statement on Monday, Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey announced the decision to withdraw from the game against Somerset Berkley Regional High School on Sept. 17 under a new district policy. 

“We understand that this forfeit will impact our chances for a league championship and possibly playoff eligibility, but we remain hopeful that other schools consider following suit to achieve and promote fair competition for female athletes,” Superintendent Runey said in a statement provided to Boston.com.

The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee enacted the policy at a June 25 meeting. 

The policy allows players and coaches to opt out of competitions if an opposing team includes a member of the opposite sex. 

The policy followed an incident where a female player from the field hockey team was injured in a Nov. 2, 2023, playoff match by a male member of the Swampscott field hockey team, according to a statement from June from Christopher Andrade, chairman of the School Committee. 

The statement said the committee had serious concerns over the “lack of reasonable policy for the safety of female athletes in co-op sports. ” 

Superintendent Runey asked the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to change its policy to protect female athletes from boys competing in girls’ sports, but the MIAA made no changes.

Under Title IX and the Equal Rights Amendment, Massachusetts boys can play on girls’ teams if no boys’ team exists in that sport. The same rules apply to girls playing on boys’ teams. 

In a November 2023 statement, the MIAA said, “Boys have been competing on girls’ teams, and girls have been competing on boys’ teams for more than forty years.” 

The athletic association says that students should be allowed to participate in any sport they choose, regardless of gender.

“We respect and understand the complexity and concerns that exist regarding student safety,” the MIAA said. “However, student safety has not been a successful defense to excluding students of one gender from participating on teams of the opposite gender.”

The MIAA said there is no correlation between injuries and mixed-gender teams. 

In a statement provided to Boston.com on Tuesday, the MIAA said, “Regular-season athletic contests are managed at the local level between the competing schools.”

Somerset Berkley Regional School District, whose game was forfeited, is siding with the MIAA. Jeff Schoonover, the district superintendent, says they follow all MIAA regulations and policies regarding interscholastic athletics participation.

“Somerset Berkley supports the rights of all students to access and participate in athletics for which they are eligible,” he wrote in an email to Boston.com.