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For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Contact: Adrienne Ammerman or Mary Robbins, 202-588-5180
HOLDING SCHOOLS ACCOUNTABLE
Legislation Will Help Ensure Schools Level the Playing Field for Girls in Sports
(Washington, DC) Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) has introduced legislation that would require high schools to publicly report data on gender equity in their athletic programs, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) said today.
“Young women in high school still receive fewer opportunities to play sports than do boys, and girls who do play often receive second-class treatment in areas such as facilities, uniforms, and scheduling of games,” said Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of NWLC. “Schools owe our nation’s daughters a level playing field, and this bill will help ensure that they live up to that standard.”
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, female students received 1.3 million fewer opportunities to participate in high school athletics than their male peers in the 2006-2007 school year. Girls are also frequently shortchanged in resources and college scholarship dollars.
The High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2009 (H.R. 2882) would require schools to report on the number of students attending the school, the number of male and female students participating in sports, the number of boys’ and girls’ sports teams, and the expenditures for all sports teams. Although schools already collect this data, there are currently no federal reporting requirements in place. Making this information publicly available will help parents and communities ensure that their schools are held accountable for living up to Title IX’s promise.
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced similar legislation, the High School Sports Information Collection Act of 2009 (S. 471), in February.
Congresswoman Slaughter, former Senator Birch Bayh, and three-time Olympic Medalist Dominique Dawes will join Neena Chaudhry of the National Women’s Law Center and other advocates for a briefing on this legislation today, June 16, at 3 p.m.
For more information on NWLC’s work around ensuring equal opportunities for girls and women in sports, visit http://www.nwlc.org/display.cfm?section=athletics.
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