Board rejects a sports eligibility policy after legal warning

What happened

The School Committee voted 6-1 to reject a proposed athletic eligibility policy that would have set boys', girls' and co-ed teams by sex. The district solicitor advised members not to adopt it, pointing to a Rhode Island Superior Court decision that reads sex to include gender identity and expression, and warning that adopting the policy could expose the district to legal risk.

Why it matters to families

It decides which teams a student may try out for. The committee had directed the superintendent to draft this policy two weeks earlier, so this vote reversed course on its own instruction.

The evidence

The December 17, 2025 approved minutes record the solicitor's advice not to approve the policy, his reference to the Rhode Island Superior Court decision, and the 6-1 vote to reject the athletic eligibility policy as presented.

The source