NORTH DIGHTON, Mass. (WJAR) — A Massachusetts high school’s field hockey team will once again be forfeiting a game because of a male player on the opposing team.
The Dighton-Rehoboth game was supposed to be against Somerset Berkeley, which does have a boy on their roster.
The decision stems from a 2023 incident where a female field hockey player was injured by a shot from a male player on the opposing team.
We’re looking to prioritize safety over victory,” said Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey. “it’s a situation that has a lot of trauma for the coaches and some of the players so choosing to sit those games out.”
The forfeits will show up as a loss on the team’s record, but the superintendent saID they don’t mind paying that price for student safety.
The parents are more concerned about their child’s safety than one or two games for college recruiting,” said Runey. “If you feel unsafe going into a situation, you’re certainly not going to enjoy that contest.”
While school officials see it as a safety measure, others see this as a form of discrimination.
It’s a loss for all of the students and (they’re) making it worse and slowly starting to target a handful of students who may identify as trans or non-binary,” said Robert Owens, a parent of a Dighton-Rehoboth student. “There’s no data supporting higher injury rate in mixed gender sports, co-ed sports have existed for decades without issue especially under Title IX. They’ve reworded this and taken advantage of a tragic situation and made it about safety.”
Runey said there are currently no restrictions if a boy wants to join the district’s field hockey team, but conversations will happen if the situation ever comes up.
Those that are questioning the policy really should turn their eyes to the Massachusetts interscholastic association, the MIAA,” he said. “If there’s this much interest in males playing field hockey, then they should start a pilot program.”