Massachusetts father of girl reportedly injured by male player files Title IX complaint against MIAA, school district

The Trump administration’s executive orders on protecting women and girls in sports has opened the floodgates for parents’ complaints at the local level.

The latest example of these grievances is in Norfolk and Bristol counties, where a father has filed a Title IX complaint against the MIAA and a school district — years after his daughter was reportedly injured by a male player in a field hockey game.

The Walpole father has filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Somerset Berkley Regional School District for “violating the rights of my daughters and countless other female student-athletes.”

The parent is calling for the feds to investigate the MIAA and the school district for “noncompliance with Title IX and with President Trump’s recent executive orders on protecting women and girls from gender ideology.”

Title IX violations should lead to canceling federal funds from these organizations and schools, the father wrote in his complaint.

The parent’s youngest daughter in November of 2018 was reportedly severely injured by a male player when she was playing in a field hockey tournament game against Somerset Berkley.

“This male player shattered my daughter’s thumb when he whipped a shot toward the goal during the game,” the father wrote in the complaint. “My daughter suffered significant pain from this injury and was forced to miss her freshman ice hockey season because of it… This boy should never have been allowed to play against my daughter in a girls’ tournament game, and his presence on the field led directly to her injury and loss of competitive opportunity.”

The Walpole all-girls field hockey team lost to the Somerset Berkley team with two male players in the state tournament semifinals. Then the next year, Somerset Berkley again beat Walpole in the state semis.

“In Massachusetts, my daughters’ rights and the rights of all female athletes to safe and fair sports competitions have been violated by the MIAA and schools like Somerset Berkley — all in the name of ‘equality’ for male players,” the anonymous father wrote. “And although my daughters have now graduated, these violations are ongoing.”

The Herald reached out to the MIAA and the school district for statements, but did not immediately hear back.

The MIAA’s rules require schools to let boys play on the girls’ team when there is no equivalent boys’ team in a sport.

This Title IX complaint comes after the Department of Education last month announced a Title IX investigation into the MIAA after a viral high school basketball game when a reportedly transgender player injured three girls.

The Department of Education cited last year’s basketball game when a coach forfeited the game after three girls got hurt. The coach for the Collegiate Charter School of Lowell girls basketball team ended the game against Lynn’s KIPP Academy at halftime.

The Department of Education in its announcement noted the MIAA’s handbook section about gender and participation: “A student shall not be excluded from participation on a gender-specific sports team that is consistent with the student’s bona fide gender identity.”

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This incident between the Lowell and Lynn schools came a few months after a high-profile incident during a local field hockey game.

A Swampscott High School boy player’s shot struck a Dighton-Rehoboth High School player in the face, sending her to the hospital with significant facial and dental injuries. The incident led to shrieks and tears all over the field hockey pitch.

The viral shot from the male player led to calls for gender rule changes for high school sports, especially when it comes to girls’ field hockey.

“Just this past season, the Dighton-Rehoboth girls’ team chose to forfeit two games against Somerset Berkley because of the presence of a male player on that team,” the Walpole father wrote in the complaint. “In a commendable act of protest, Dighton-Rehoboth prioritized safety over victory for their girls.”

“I am deeply concerned that the MIAA and school districts like Somerset Berkley are continuing to violate Title IX and undermining the safety and privacy of female student-athletes, just like they did to my daughters,” he added.

Two weeks ago, the Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center published a Title IX complaint template for parents to report schools.

“MLLC stands firmly with parents who are speaking out to ensure their daughters’ rights are fully protected,” MLLC wrote. “The decision to participate in school sports should never come at the cost of enduring unfair competition or risking serious injury.”

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