CWLC Wins Sweetwater Title IX Class Action
In a huge victory for girls playing high school sports, on February 9, 2012, San Diego District Court Judge M. James Lorenz... [Read More]
Don’t give me leftovers
Although schools are not required to spend the identical amount of money on boys’ and girls’ programs, they must provide equal treatment and benefits. Some inequalities between teams may be acceptable if they are compensated ...
Locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities
The facilities and locker rooms used by boys’ and girls’ teams should be of equal quality and suitability. It violates Title IX to provide facilities for boys that are better than those for girls. If ...
Blog & News
Understanding the New Title IX Guidance
On April 4, 2011, the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) issued a “significant... [Read More]
A Story of Two School Districts
When girls, parents, or even coaches complain that girls are getting the short end of the stick compared to boys when it... [Read More]
My field sucks
No attention…
At my school, there are announcements every day about the football games and the boys’ basketball games. I’m... [Read More]
New coaches every year?
I’m a senior and I’ve played softball for all of high school. We’ve had a new coach every year. The... [Read More]
What’s Your Sports Story?
My Field Sucks is a place where you can share stories, pictures, and videos about your own experience as a female athlete. Have... [Read More]
Ask a lawyer
My daughter wants to play baseball, but her school says CIF won’t let her play.
“Our daughter is in 8th grade at a private school in Oakland, CA. She plays baseball on her middle school team and in the Oakland Little League, where she has played for about the last 8 years. She would like to continue playing baseball in high school rather than switch to softball, which we consider a different sport. Evidently, there is also legal... [Read More]
The girls’ locker room is inadequate compared to the boys’. Does that violate Title IX?
“I am the coach of a girls team at a high school in Michigan. Our girls locker room is inadequate compared with the boys. In addition the girls get kicked out of their locker room when visiting boys football and basketball teams are at the school. The boys are never removed from their locker room to accomodate visiting girls teams. These teams... [Read More]
Does Title IX require equal playing time for girls on a coed team?
“Recently, our local high school merged the boys and girls soccer teams into 1 coed team. High School soccer requires 11 players on the field. Both the boys and girls teams had plenty players: over 20 boys and 14 girls, but the school principle decided that there needed to be 15 this year. When the teams combined, some of the girls quit, leaving... [Read More]
I think my school is in violation of Title IX. What do I do now?
The first step would be to alert your school that it is in violation – many schools do not know the law and what Title IX requires of them. Your school may be willing to make voluntary changes. Each school is required by law to have a Title IX coordinator. Find out who that person is and tell her about the Title IX problem. If your school is a high... [Read More]
Does Title IX apply to parks and recreation teams?
No. Title IX is an educational law which applies only to schools that receive federal funding. However, California Government Code § 53080 prohibits gender discrimination in community youth athletic programs and parks and recreation facilities. Like Title IX, this law requires community recreational departments to provide boys’ programs and girls’... [Read More]
I have heard that Title IX requires schools to cut boys’ teams. Is this true?
Definitely not. Title IX does not require schools to cut boys’ teams to comply with its requirement that schools provide girls with opportunities to play sports in proportion to their enrollment in the school. Individual schools may choose to cut boys’ teams, rather than add more girls’ teams, as a means to comply with Title IX. However, this... [Read More]