JJIBD - Gender Identity Participation Policy

GENDER IDENTITY PARTICIPATION POLICY 

The Acton School Department is committed to providing all students with an equal opportunity to participate in interscholastic athletics regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. In furtherance of this commitment, Acton School Department has adopted the following policy related to the participation of students whose gender identity differs from the student’s sex assigned at birth.


  1. Definitions:

  1. Gender identity is defined as a student’s innate sense of their gender, which may be the same as or different from the sex assigned at birth.

  2.  A transgender student is defined as a student whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth. For example, a transgender person who was assigned female at birth may identify as a male, a combination of male and female, or neither.

  3. A non-binary student is defined as a student whose gender identity does not conform to traditional binary beliefs about gender being exclusively either male or female.

  4. A cisgender student is a student whose gender identity matches the sex assigned at birth.

     2.   A student who wishes to participate in an athletics program must inform the

school of their gender identity if it differs from the student’s assigned sex at birth. The school shall have the sole authority to determine gender identity assignment for the purposes of athletic registration and participation. No medical records or official documents shall be requested or required to establish a student’s gender identity.

     3.   A transgender student shall be eligible to participate in accordance with either

their birth sex or in accordance with their gender identity, but not both. For example a transgender student who was assigned male at birth may play field hockey in the fall but cannot try out for the boys’ basketball team in the winter 

(assuming they continue to identify as female).Similarly, a transgender student who was assigned female at birth may try out for the boys’ basketball team but may not try out for the girls’ basketball team if they are cut from the boys’ team. 

     4.   The existence of male/female gender divisions on most teams creates a need for

 non-binary students to determine which gendered team they feel most closely

 aligns with their gender identity, or the gendered team on which they feel most

 comfortable participating. Factors that the non-binary athlete may take into

 Consideration include an established camaraderie with fellow athletes, personal 

 Safety, and/or privacy concerns. The school will help to determine, through

 counseling and  discussion with the student, the student’s status regarding 

 gender identity. Once a non-binary student decides to participate in a sport

 different from the student’s assigned sex at birth, the student will be eligible 

 to participate in sports offered for the selected gender, following the same rules

 as a transgender student.  

Adopted:  December 12, 2024