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Don't miss our Blog!

SB890 Press Release

See May 27, 2009 Press Release about SB890)

Also see Equity in Athletics.

Take Action

Support SB890 Today!

Urge Your PA Senator To Support Equitable Athletic Opportunity in Pennsylvania High Schools

On May 27, 2009, Senator Mary Jo White (R-21st Dist.) introduced SB890, “The Pennsylvania Equity in Interscholastic Athletics Disclosure Act,” in the Pennsylvania Senate.  This legislation will give schools, parents, and students a significant tool to help them achieve athletic equity for Pennsylvania’s female secondary school athletes.

Title IX is the landmark federal legislation enacted 37 years ago that requires all schools receiving public funding to provide equitable athletic opportunities to female students.  While Title IX has led to increases in athletic opportunities for girls, many schools continue to shortchange their female students in both sports opportunities and sports facilities, equipment and other aspects of the sports program. 

SB890 requires Pennsylvania secondary schools to publicly disclose information about student athletic participation by gender, race, and ethnicity, and information about athletic facilities, equipment, coaching, and athletic expenditures by gender.  Since 1994, federal law has required colleges and universities to publicly disclose athletic information by gender, and this information has been instrumental in expanding intercollegiate athletic opportunities for women.

SB890 will provide students, parents, coaches, and school administrators with the information and tools needed to give Pennsylvania’s female athletes a sporting chance. 

ACTION:

We need your help to make this legislation the law in Pennsylvania. Please send letters thanking the sponsors of SB890 for taking a stand in support of fair play for all of Pennsylvania’s secondary school athletes and asking the Senate Education Committee to vote SB 890 out of committee.  Pennsylvania’s Senators need to hear that their constituents want them to support athletic equity.

• Step 1: Follow this link to find the name of your state senator.
  
  
• Step 2: If your Senator's name is listed below, it means they are a member of the Senate Education and currently are not co-sponsors of SB890. Please urge him/her to send SB 890 to the Senate floor for a vote. Click here for a sample letter that you can cut and paste into your email or print and mail.

Step 3: If your Senator is a sponsor (see sponsors below), please thank him/her! You can use the model letter we have drafted to cut and paste into your email or print and mail.

Title IX Updates

Are Schools Giving Female Athletes a Sporting Chance?

The Women's Law Project has released A Guide to Gender Equity in Athletics: Are Schools Giving Female Athletes a Sporting Chance? This guide is designed to help students, athletes, administrators, athletic directors, coaches, and parents understand the rights students have under Title IX, a federal law that requires schools to give young women and girls equal opportunities and benefits in their sports programs. This guide explains the legal requirements of Title IX and Pennsylvania laws that apply to athletic equity, provides tools for evaluating gender equity in your school's athletic program, and suggests strategies for addressing any unfair treatment you find. You can get a PDF version of report here.

Pittsburgh Pubic Schools Authorizes Gender Equity Review of High School Athletics

Calling it "a model of progressive leadership that should make every Pittsburgh resident proud," WLP Senior Staff Attorney, Susan Frietsche praised the Pittsburgh School Board for authorizing a comprehensive audit of Pittsburgh high school athletics to ensure that the district is in compliance with Title IX, the federal law requiring gender equity in federally funded educaitonal programs. See full press release.

WLP Files Title IX Complaint Against New Hope-Solebury School District

After over a year of inaction by the New Hope-Solebury School District to rectify it’s acknowledged inequities in athletics, the Women’s Law Project filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights asserting Title IX violations by the School District.  Under Title IX, school districts that receive federal funding are prohibited from engaging in sex discrimination.  The WLP complaint alleges violations in both the number of athletic opportunities offered and the relative treatment of the teams.