PEABODY — Parents and student-athletes were given an opportunity to ask questions and express their frustrations over the MIAA’s decision to ban all Bishop Fenwick athletic teams from the 2023-24 state tournaments Monday night at the high school.
More than 200 parents, students, and school staff packed the school’s auditorium at 6 p.m., as many parents of student-athletes sounded off about the ban.
Bishop Fenwick High School President Tom Nunan and Bishop Fenwick Board of Trustees Chair Neil Harrington sat at the front of the auditorium, between the stage and seats, answering a plethora of questions related to the ban and its impacts going forward.
One parent, Michael Chane, commented on the school’s board and administration, saying that there needs to be accountability.
“Why was there no disciplinary action taken at any time?” Chane asked. “Someone has to be accountable.”
Chane’s comments drew thunderous applause from the crowd as he walked back to his seat.
Another parent, Mike Santos of Peabody, echoed Chane’s comments, specifically calling for Nunan to hold himself accountable.
“At some point Mr. Nunan, you have to be held accountable for what’s going on in this school,” Santos said firmly.
Santos also accused the school of knowing that there was an issue months in advance of the ban and inquired about forming a “parental review committee” to “oversee some of these things and make sure these things don’t happen.”
Irene Berry, a mother of a student considering a waiver due to an illness, voiced her displeasure with the postseason ban.
“To have an entire year where they cannot participate in athletics is a disservice,” Berry said.
Later in the forum, when asked by a parent if students will be able to apply for waivers given the current state of Bishop Fenwick athletics, Nunan said that it is not likely based on the current climate.
80% of current Fenwick students participate in athletics. In an interview after the forum, Nunan said that he is concerned about the possibility of students transferring to other schools as a result of not being able to play in the postseason.
“Sports are really important for kids, and parents recognize that kids come for the whole experience here,” he said. “It’s academic, it’s spiritual, it’s moral, it’s physical, it’s aesthetic with the arts. If you take one of those components out, it’s challenging.”
The school’s infraction stems from a waiver violation in which a fifth-year waiver application for one player in one sport was found to have three errors, according to a statement released by Harrington on Friday. Nunan said that the three errors were the number of games the individual played in, the number of schools the individual had been to, and the student-athlete’s athletic ability.
According to Nunan, Fenwick had one waiver application received in fall 2022, and four in fall 2021. All four in 2021 were denied, but the guardians of each student requesting the waivers asked the school to appeal. As a result, two were accepted and two were denied by the MIAA.
In fall 2022, the student-athlete who requested the lone waiver dropped his request after he realized that he would not be accepted into an MIAA school. He then transferred to another athletic conference.
The MIAA’s statement, released on Friday, called Fenwick’s actions “sufficiently serious, egregious, and repeated,” however Harrington refuted claims of any repeated offenses.
“For the record, Bishop Fenwick fully complied with the denial of the waiver application; the student-athlete never touched the field,” Harrington said in the statement.
Both Nunan and Harrington made opening remarks at the beginning of the forum, in which Harrington continued to bash the MIAA’s decision.
“The board and the administration believe this decision is unjust and unfair, and we will do anything in our power to overturn or litigate the effects of the decision,” Harrington said.
Nunan added to Harrington’s comments, attempting to dispel any rumors that Fenwick was attempting to gain an edge in athletic competition.
“To think that we cheat, lie, deceit at this school for any reason, much less to gain a competitive advantage in high-school athletics, is nonsense,” Nunan said passionately.
Though frustrated and upset, a large number of parents raised their hands when asked if they would advocate on the school’s behalf by submitting parent- or student-written letters to the MIAA.
Recent Bishop Fenwick graduate Michael Geissler, who played baseball and football at the school, also stepped up to the microphone. He described how he would feel if he was in the predicament Fenwick student-athletes now find themselves in.
“I don’t know what I have to look forward to, knowing I can’t play in a state championship,” Geissler said, shaking his head.
Nunan said that he hopes to have an update from the MIAA within the next 10 days. He also said that the school is considering the possibility of moving to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Conference, which is not governed by the MIAA.
