High school swimmers, parents, and coaches in Newton have been writing letters and signing petitions to protest a statewide proposal that would get rid of the fall season for girls’ swim teams, saying the change would restrict the number of students who could participate in the sport.

Last month, a subcommittee of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association recommended that fall swimming for both boys and girls should be eliminated by the 2015-16 school year. The full Swim Committee at the MIAA, which oversees high school sports programs across the state, will consider the proposal next Thursday.

The subcommittee’s proposal came after a controversial swim season last fall, when several boys from schools without boys’ swim teams competed on girls’ teams, and swam well enough to qualify for the postseason competition.

In November, a male student from Norwood High, Will Higgins became the sectional record-holder in the girls’ 50-yard freestyle event. Some swimmers and their parents and coaches were frustrated, and called upon the MIAA to act.

So it was a surprise to some when the subcommittee recommended getting rid of all fall swimming - traditionally a girls’ sport - and limiting high school swimming to winter, with separate competitions for boys and girls, in three years. (Until then, boys’ swimming championships would be held in the fall.)

Getting rid of fall swimming for girls because a few dozen boys also compete would be an overreaction, according to the Newton petition-signers.

“The MIAA solution to move ALL girls’ high school teams to the winter season will severely endanger the continued availability of the Newton North High School pool for other users,’’ the petition says. “This proposal does not benefit any community programs that use these same pools.’’