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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 297 FILED ON: 1/8/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 584
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
John R. Gaskey
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to ensure fairness and safety in school sports.
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PETITION OF:
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
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 297 FILED ON: 1/8/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 584
By Representative Gaskey of Carver, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 584) of John
R. Gaskey and others relative to sports teams at public schools. Education.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to ensure fairness and safety in school sports.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 71of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition,
2is hereby amended by inserting the following section: -
3 Section 1E.
4 (a) No public school shall require any student athlete on a single-sex sports team to
5participate in a match, or any part thereof, against an opposing team that includes one or more
6athletes of the opposite sex. No penalty, including but not limited to loss of playing time or loss
7of starting status, shall be imposed by a public school on such a student athlete for refusing to
8play in such a match.
9 (b) No coach of a single-sex public school sports team shall be penalized by that school
10for forfeiting a match against an opposing team because such opposing team includes one or
11more athletes of the opposite sex. 2 of 2
12 (c) The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts
13Interscholastic Athletic Association, or any equivalent school organization or an entity or board
14that provides athletic officials, including, but not limited to, referees and umpires, for school
15sports or athletic events shall not penalize any public school, single-sex public school sports
16team, coach of such a team, or student athlete on such a team, for forfeiting or refusing to play in
17a match against an opposing team because such opposing team includes one or more athletes of
18the opposite sex, except that such a forfeit may be recorded as a loss.
19 For the purposes of this section, a “single-sex team” is any team that is designated as
20either a girls’ team or a boys’ team, as opposed to a team that is designated as co-ed.