PEABODY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The fall sports season for Peabody student athletes has been given the green light.
Peabody Athletic and Wellness Subcommittee members voted unanimously Tuesday evening to recommend that all students, both remote and in-person, be allowed to participate in fall sports.
In late August, the Northeastern Conference—which includes schools in Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester, Lynn, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem, Saugus, Swampscott, and Winthrop—voted to delay the entire fall sports season to the floating "Fall 2" period, scheduled to take place between Feb. 22 and April 25.
This was met with protests from student athletes, who rallied outside Danvers Town Hall on Aug. 28 to express their dismay with the decision.
Dozens of students and their families also gathered outside Higgins Middle School, where the subcommittee's meeting took place. They were chanting "Let us play" and "Save our season" while waving signs.
According to Superintendent Josh Vadala, if the NEC does have an official "Fall 2" season in 2021, Peabody schools' understanding is that schools playing sports in the fall would not be allowed to participate in NEC tournaments or compete to participate in the league championship. The fall season would only be for exhibition purposes.
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