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For Immediate Release: November 23, 2009
Contact: Karen Schneider or Cara Santos Pianesi, 202-588-5180
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS OPENS
INVESTIGATION OF THE FORT WORTH INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
NWLC applauds attention to Title IX concerns
(Washington, DC) The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) applauds the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Dallas for opening an investigation into allegations that the Fort Worth Independent School District discriminated against a pregnant high school student in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination in education based on sex, including pregnancy and parenting status, requires schools to ensure that pregnant and parenting students get equal educational opportunities, including equal access to academic instruction, sports and other school activities.
NWLC represents a 17-year old high school senior who is at the top of her class and was, before the school learned of her pregnancy, the starting setter on the school’s varsity volleyball team. When her school’s athletics coordinator learned that she was newly pregnant, the student was told to submit a doctor’s note clearing her to play, a requirement not applied equally to all student athletes with medical conditions. As a result, she was banned from playing for two weeks and missed out on valuable opportunities to play for college recruiters. Even after she submitted the required note and returned to the team, the coach limited her to far less playing time than she previously had received, further affecting her record and her chances to complete for a volleyball scholarship to college.
“NWLC welcomes the Office for Civil Rights’ close attention to this matter,” said NWLC Co-President Marcia D. Greenberger. “Far too many schools are not aware that Title IX applies –and has applied for 37 years – to schools’ treatment of pregnant and parenting students. The assumption that pregnant students cannot continue participating in sports is just one example of the types of stereotypes and limitations that Congress intended to eliminate when it passed Title IX.
“Pregnant and parenting students face significant barriers to high school graduation, including discrimination and stigmatization by their schools. Because teen birth rates in the U.S. recently rose for the first time in 15 years, it is particularly urgent that we focus on preventing teen pregnancy and keeping pregnant and parenting teens in school as part of the nation’s overall efforts to address the nation’s dropout crisis.”
To schedule an interview with Marcia Greenberger, contact Cara Santos Pianesi at 202-588-5180 or cpianesi@nwlc.org.
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