National Group Accuses HISD Of Not Treating Girls' Sports Equally
The National Women's Law Center has filed complaints against the Houston school district and 11 others across the nation, claiming the entities violate Title IX by failing to fund and treat girls' sports equally to boys'.
HISD taken to task
"These complaints, which are based on the schools' own data, reveal pervasive and growing inequities in the number of opportunities for girls to play sports in high school. This lack of opportunity is reflected in the fact that many schools do not offer girls' teams in such state-sanctioned sports as swimming, golf, and tennis," the group said.
The complaints are part of a new effort by the group to bring attention to what they say are inequities in funding girls' sports.
"These 12 school districts are the tip of the iceberg," said NWLC Co-President Marcia Greenberger. "Nationwide, only 41 percent of all high school athletes are girls, even though they make up half the student population. That means schools are giving girls 1.3 million fewer opportunities than boys to play sports nationwide. It's past time to rally for girls in high school sports."
The group found one district in each of the 12 districts overseen by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Houston was the lucky one for this district.
Each of the districts have significant gaps between the percentage of students who are girls and the percentage of girls participating in sports, the group said.
HISD has promised a statement on the matter; we'll update when we get it.
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