Sachem Sports Community Concerned About Budget Cuts

Sachem residents concerned about the effect of looming budget cuts on the district's sports program have launched an online petition to send a message to district policymakers.

Entitled "Save Our Sports" or "S.O.S." the petition, registered on aggregation site Change.org, calls for district administrators to consider the cost of cutting sports programs from the curriculum.

In an open letter to the Sachem Board of Education, the draftees state:

Based on an article in the Washington Post, there has been research that shows the correlation between students who participate in athletics, not only excel in math and English, but also develop life and career skills. These student athletes display flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability, and leadership and responsibility. These are qualities that cannot be learned in the classroom, but are integral assets needed when applying for colleges or starting a career.

The letter also cites budget cuts to sports program in recent years that saw the elimination of 7th grade and JV9 teams- cuts the letter claims affected some 2,500 students in Sachem.

The petition, which launched three days ago, has gained more than 90 signatures to date. Last week Patch reported on another petition launched in an effort to preserve the district's music program from budget cuts.