Controversial: An Alternate Lede Good Example

It looks like the separation of boys and girls now includes more than cooties in kindergarten and middle school dances.

The East Lansing School Board unanimously voted Tuesday night to ban boys from playing on girl’s teams to ensure the safety of athletes participating in sports in the school district.

“I just don’t believe the sexes should be mixed in this case,” East Lansing School Board member Jane Tribitt said. “The boys are just too big and physical and it intimidates the girls on the team. It is a matter of safety.”

The policy was implemented after four boys tried out for and made the East Lansing High School girl’s field hockey team last year. The policy banning boys from girl’s teams says the size, speed and power of male athletes poses a hazard for female players.

“I just don’t think it is healthy mentally or physically to have the boys and girls playing on the same team,” Sandra Adler, a mother of a girl who was previously on the field hockey team, said. “There probably are girls who want to play on the boys football or baseball teams, but they are not allowed.”

The policy takes effect immediately and will ban boys from playing on the girl’s field hockey, volleyball and softball teams.

“If safety is the issue of concern for the board, then our girls teams would have to forfeit games if there are boys on the opposing teams,” East Lansing High School Athletic Director Hugh Baker said. “It would be unfair to force our field hockey team to have a losing record every year because it has to forfeit all those games.”

The four boys played on the team last fall and helped the team make the state playoffs. Students like senior Jacob Stevens were excited to return to the girl’s field hockey team this year.

“I don’t think it is fair,” Stevens said during the board meeting. “I enjoy playing the game and I haven’t had any of the other female players on the team complain about my being there. If we can’t play with the girls, we wouldn’t be able to play. There are not enough boys interested to create a men’s field hockey team.”