SAUGUS — The fate of a proposed shift to the school district’s eligibility requirements for student-athletes is set to be determined next month when Middle/High School Principal Brendon Sullivan presents the school’s handbook to the School Committee for review.
The change would amend the number of failing grades a student can receive and still be eligible to play sports, rising from one such grade to two and bringing the town in line with the existing Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association requirements. The shift would allow more students to play sports in Saugus. School Committee members and district officials have said they believe it can serve as a motivating factor that can also boost academic performance.
The proposal first came before the Athletic Subcommittee for review in December, and at a meeting last week, it moved to recommend the shift to the broader School Committee. During a meeting of the Policy Subcommittee Wednesday afternoon, the proposal was discussed but ultimately not voted on after district officials determined eligibility did not fall under the jurisdiction of policy.
Subcommittee Chair Dennis Gould, an ardent support of the town’s athletic programs, said he believed loosening the eligibility requirements would aid a bevy of students.
“It’s not that we want to be more competitive, it’s that we want to take students and lift them up, not bring them down,” he said. “(If) they can’t participate (it) brings them down, doesn’t help them.”
“We want a level playing field. If all the people in the Northeast Conference have two (allowed failing grades) and Saugus has one, why is that? That doesn’t make sense,” Gould added.
Sullivan emphasized that the switch was not about winning more games — he said a total of only 10 student-athletes in the spring season were deemed ineligible based on grades — but about fostering a greater sense of community among students. He cited extracurricular activities as key drivers of student engagement, explaining that they allows students to “feel like they’re part of something beyond just themselves.”
“The hope is that more students are encouraged to participate in the full life of school,” he said. “This gives them not only great contact with their peers, but also helps them encounter more positive adults in the school system, who can serve as mentors and guides to them and we know that relationship-building between staff and students leads to positive outcomes for students.”
Should the change be approved by the School Committee next month as part of their review of the Middle/High School handbook, it would take effect for fall sports, and eligibility would be determined based on students’ fourth-quarter grades.
The current pass/fail marker of 65 for high school students generated discussion during the meeting, though Gould said he had no intention of proposing to lower that marker. Instead, he suggested the middle school failing grade be brought up to 65 to bring it in line with the high school, noting that eighth graders often join sports teams. The subcommittee made no move on that issue Wednesday.
The issue of eligibility is likely to come up for discussion again at Thursday evening’s School Committee meeting, where the full committee will hear reports from both the Athletic Subcommittee and the Policy Subcommittee.
