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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 297 FILED ON: 1/8/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 584 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | John R. Gaskey |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act to ensure fairness and safety in school sports. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:John R. Gaskey2nd Plymouth1/8/2025Katie Ferriera-Aubin50 Winter St, Rehoboth, MA 027691/8/2025Justin Thurber5th Bristol1/8/2025Marc T. Lombardo22nd Middlesex1/23/2025Steven George Xiarhos5th Barnstable1/25/2025Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.5th Worcester2/10/2025Nicholas A. Boldyga3rd Hampden2/10/2025Steven S. Howitt4th Bristol3/1/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 297 FILED ON: 1/8/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 584 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Gaskey of Carver, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 584) of John |
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| 19 | 19 | | R. Gaskey and others relative to sports teams at public schools. Education. |
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| 20 | 20 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 21 | 21 | | _______________ |
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| 22 | 22 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | An Act to ensure fairness and safety in school sports. |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 27 | 27 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 28 | 28 | | 1 SECTION 1. Chapter 71of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, |
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| 29 | 29 | | 2is hereby amended by inserting the following section: - |
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| 30 | 30 | | 3 Section 1E. |
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| 31 | 31 | | 4 (a) No public school shall require any student athlete on a single-sex sports team to |
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| 32 | 32 | | 5participate in a match, or any part thereof, against an opposing team that includes one or more |
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| 33 | 33 | | 6athletes of the opposite sex. No penalty, including but not limited to loss of playing time or loss |
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| 34 | 34 | | 7of starting status, shall be imposed by a public school on such a student athlete for refusing to |
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| 35 | 35 | | 8play in such a match. |
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| 36 | 36 | | 9 (b) No coach of a single-sex public school sports team shall be penalized by that school |
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| 37 | 37 | | 10for forfeiting a match against an opposing team because such opposing team includes one or |
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| 38 | 38 | | 11more athletes of the opposite sex. 2 of 2 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 12 (c) The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts |
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| 40 | 40 | | 13Interscholastic Athletic Association, or any equivalent school organization or an entity or board |
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| 41 | 41 | | 14that provides athletic officials, including, but not limited to, referees and umpires, for school |
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| 42 | 42 | | 15sports or athletic events shall not penalize any public school, single-sex public school sports |
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| 43 | 43 | | 16team, coach of such a team, or student athlete on such a team, for forfeiting or refusing to play in |
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| 44 | 44 | | 17a match against an opposing team because such opposing team includes one or more athletes of |
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| 45 | 45 | | 18the opposite sex, except that such a forfeit may be recorded as a loss. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 19 For the purposes of this section, a “single-sex team” is any team that is designated as |
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| 47 | 47 | | 20either a girls’ team or a boys’ team, as opposed to a team that is designated as co-ed. |
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