D-R School Committee Approves New Athletic Policy

The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee voted at their June 25 meeting to allow coaches and student-athletes to avoid competing against teams that include athletes of the opposite sex.

The policy states there will be no penalty for a coach or a student-athlete issued by the district with the loss of playing time, starting status or other penalties for the refusal to play against a team that is not single-sex.

“I applaud our School Committee for taking this step in the absence of substantive action by the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association),” Runey said Wednesday. “Player safety must be of paramount importance, and the elevated risk of injury when boys compete against girls is a grave concern of ours. I was hopeful that the MIAA would implement additional safety precautions, but there has been no noteworthy progress on that front. Our new AD, Matt McKinnon, and I are hosting a meeting of Field Hockey coaches, families, and candidates later this month to answer questions about the policy.” 

A player for the Dighton Rehoboth High School girls’ field hockey team was badly injured during a game last fall.

In a statement, Runey wrote the student “sustained significant facial and dental injuries when she was struck in the face by a shot in the third quarter versus Swampscott in an MIAA state playoff contest. The shot was taken by a male member of the Swampscott girls field hockey team. This injury required hospitalization.”

Runey reached out to the MIAA following the incident in November, but the MIAA did not make any significant policy changes.