WESTFIELD — Westfield Academy and Central School Board of Education members held an animated discussion regarding proposed amendments to state Education law, which would allow males to compete in certain sports designated for female athletes.

District Superintendent Michael Cipolla reviewed the new regulation which would end the state’s current fitness test requirements for mixed competition. The Regents just opened the 60-day public comment period, Cipolla said. The Regents expect to approve the change in time for this fall’s high school sports seasons in September.

Cipolla noted the proposed amendment raises an issue of safety regarding traditionally female sports. “This applies to the lack of ability for a school district to determine if there is a ‘significant adverse effect,’ created by the proposed mix competition rule,” he said.

The proposed amendment would allow male students to try out for traditionally female sports when a male equivalent sport is not offered, such as field hockey, volleyball, gymnastics, softball and flag football, Cipolla said.

According to the Regents, “The proposed amendment requires that criteria for determining whether students will be selected to participate on the team shall be the same for all students who wish to participate, regardless of student-identified gender.”

Angelique Johnson-Dingle, deputy state commissioner of P-12 instructional support said the amendment “includes promoting equality between separate male and female athletic programs and encouraging mixed gender teams. The department believes this is an important step in ensuring equality.”

Johnson-Dingle went on to stress that the amendment is based on student identified gender. “We’re clear in the amendments that it’s student-identified gender,” Johnson-Dingle said. “We worked very hard to be very clear in that language and to be as inclusive as possible.’

Cipolla cited a quote from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association: “The proposed amendments will remove the ability of a school district and/or Section to determine if a male student-athlete will have a ‘significant adverse effect’ upon the participation opportunities of female student-athletes. The ability of schools to have local authority in these cases is important and critical to ensure the integrity of female participation is maintained.”

The quote goes on to say that “NYSPHSAA member schools aim to ensure female student-athletes are not displaced by allowing unrestricted access for all male student-athletes to try out for a team when a male equivalent sport is not offered.”

Several board members expressed similar concerns about the proposed amendment. Board member Tom Tarpley said his main concern was the effect the amendment could have on female sports. “I watch how hard our female student-athletes train all year long for the sports they participate in,” he said. “By permitting boys to now play girls sports we would likely have a situation where physically superior male athletes would be the top producers on their teams, and the performance and work of our female student athletes would be overshadowed.”

Tarpley went on to say that allowing males to participate in female sports would actually create inequity, instead of equity. “I have watched in my lifetime the efforts that so many undertook to ensure that women and girls will have the opportunity to participate in organized sports. We cannot have the government or the state dictating who can play in women’s sports,” he said. “It is incumbent upon both the men, and especially the women who are in leadership positions in schools throughout this county, to fight any attempt to harm the opportunity our female athletes have to play in a fair environment.”

Board member Deanne Manzella also spoke about how this amendment could destroy hard won gains. She spoke of the time when she participated in high school sports and how difficult it was to get female sports recognized. “I would hate to see the opportunities for girls to participate in sports to go backward,” she said.

Tarpley also cautioned this amendment, if passed, would be the first step toward allowing males to enter the locker rooms of female teammates. “It is critical that we ensure our female students have privacy in areas of undressing,” he said. “The state’s attempt to push their DEI agenda in girls’ sports will extend into their locker rooms and that is a recipe for disaster. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will now become Discrimination, Exclusion, and Inequity.”