It would be nice to believe that Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 has served its purpose and there is no longer sex discrimination in schools. We at AAUW know, however, that this is not the case. Thirty-seven years after its passage, Title IX is as necessary as ever.
All over the country, there are high schools that fail to treat girls and young women fairly with respect to athletic participation, athletics facilities, and other benefits. Not only is this unfair, it also is potentially illegal under Title IX.
For example, students in Chula Vista, California, filed a Title IX sex discrimination lawsuit against their school district in Ollier v. Sweetwater Union High School District. Elizabeth Kristen, project director of the Title IX K–12 Equality Project at The Legal Aid Society – Employment Law Center explained the case:
The girls’ softball program was forced to play on a substandard field lacking basic amenities like covered dugouts. The softball team shared their field with the physical education program, which led to overuse of and damage to the entire field. The boys’ baseball field was fully fenced, locked, and reserved exclusively for the boys’ baseball team and was in excellent condition. The boys also had covered dugouts with storage and a concessions stand, to name just a few of their amenities. When girls and their parents complained about inequity, the school fired their beloved softball coach.
In spring 2009, a federal district court in California ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and scheduled further proceedings to address the question of a remedy.
Both AAUW members, Elizabeth and her mother, Kathryn (Kathy) Braeman, approached AAUW for help addressing the widespread noncompliance with Title IX. (You can read the guest blog post Title IX: Two Lifetimes of Activism by Elizabeth and Kathy to learn more about them.) Elizabeth believes that litigation should be a last resort against noncompliant schools and that local activism, which AAUW members excel at doing, can make a huge difference without wasting limited school funding in a costly lawsuit.
Over the last few months, AAUW has worked with individuals like Elizabeth and Kathy and staff at the Women’s Sports Foundation to craft a program that allows AAUW members to engage in the kind of local activism Elizabeth envisions. Starting today you can access the result of our labor: Title IX Compliance: Know the Score!
Through this project, AAUW members (and other interested persons) can download the new online Program in a Box, which contains tools to help them learn about Title IX, find out if their local school is Title IX compliant, and, if it is not, understand what steps they can take to pressure schools into compliance. Also, AAUW is holding a free webinar on the project for interested individuals on October 29 at 6 p.m. EDT. Learn more information closer to the date and contact laf@aauw.org with any questions.
We hope you will participate in the program to help ensure equity on the playing fields for girls at your local high schools!
