Residents Upset Over High School Tennis Court Rules

Town residents took to social media over the weekend to air their frustrations over a sign placed on the Seekonk High School tennis court. 

The sign notes:

• Tennis facilities are for Seekonk residents and their guests
• All players should be prepared to show proof of residency in the form of a valid ID or driver’s license if requested by school or town staff.
• Courts are for TENNIS ONLY – all other uses require a permit.
• No pickleball, rollerblading, skateboarding, bicycles, scooters, street hockey, etc.

“We’re just trying to protect the courts for tennis use and for our tennis teams,” the high school’s Athletic Director John Moran said at Monday’s school committee meeting.

Moran noted there had been “some damage already” to the courts, namely some scrapes which may have been caused by movable net used for pickleball.

Regarding having a police officer or staff member asking people for proof of residency, Moran said he didn’t know “what the legalities of it are.”

“I think (the tennis court) should be for town residents,” Moran said.

The posted rules go too far, according to Nelson Almeida, who shared his opinion on Seekonk Residents’ Facebook page.

“This is the stuff you see at an elite private country club. Proper footwear and shirts and checking IDs?” Almeida wrote. “We don’t need this drama. We are not a private country club. We are a public community.”

Kyle Juckett, who had been a candidate for the school committee last April, noted the tennis court rules were “silly” and warned the sign could put the town at risk of being sued.

“As far as I know, there hasn’t been checking of IDs or questioning of people in my tenure here,” Superintendent Rich Drolet said. “I wouldn’t encourage that. I wouldn’t want staff members getting in disputes (with residents).”

“I can see (the sign) as a soft deterrent. If something happens after today, where somebody gets stopped and ID’d and something blows up, the school department and the town is going to be held accountable,” Juckett added. “(The sign) set up some dangers for the town.”

“The tennis courts are for tennis,” Drolet added. “We’re not encouraging people to play pickleball on them.”

Drolet said if someone wants to play pickleball on the tennis court, they are free to fill out a building use form. Drolet explained some changes might be made to the high school’s building use policy as well.