Commonly known as Title IX, the act aims to help prevent gender discrimination in American schools by requiring that school districts provide equal resources and opportunities for both male and female students. For athletics, this means that districts are responsible for ensuring equal resources and teams are available for each gender. Prior to the passage of the law, only 60 percent of California high schools offered female sports teams and there were just 35,000 participants; today there are roughly 330,000 female student-athletes in the state’s high schools. CSBA has recently partnered with the California Interscholastic Federation to release a new governance brief on Title IX. California Schools spoke with CSBA Education Policy Analyst Manuel Buenrostro about how school districts can ensure they are complying with Title IX requirements.
Title IX is about ensuring that male and female students are treated fairly. In regard to athletics, it is important for boards to consider the question: “Do male and female athletes and teams in our schools receive equal benefits?” Board members can play a key role in making sure that all students are treated fairly by asking the right questions and supporting policies and procedures within their schools that both meet the requirements of Title IX and advance the vision of access to equal opportunities.
- Title IX regulations guarantee equal gender rights to educational programs, activities, athletics, facilities and federal financial assistance
- Board members should set and review policies to ensure compliance with state and federal law, including data collection on students’ participation in competitive sports by gender and posting contact information for the LEA’s Title IX coordinator
While implementation of Title IX has narrowed the gap between male and female student participation in high school sports, it is important for districts and county offices of education to continue to review their data and policies to ensure that equal opportunity for all students is a reality. According to the latest analysis by the National Women’s Law Center, 25.8 percent of California high schools had a large gender equity gap (the gap between the percentage of spots on teams allocated to girls and the percentage of students who are girls that is 10 percentage points or higher). These gaps are unfortunately higher for girls of color or girls in high-poverty schools.
Education Code 221.9 requires all schools to post on their website (or district website if the school does not maintain one) data on students’ participation in competitive sports by gender. In addition, Education Code 221.61 requires the name and contact information of the Title IX coordinator be posted in a prominent and conspicuous location on the school, district and county office of education websites, along with information about how to file a complaint under Title IX.
More work needs to be done to ensure that all schools comply with these requirements. An analysis by the Fair Play for Girls in Sports Project found that out of 108 randomly selected California high schools, fewer than half — just 51 of the 108 — had posted any data at all.
Board members should ensure that local educational agency leadership collects and analyzes data on sports participation by gender and by student demographics, including ethnicity and economic status. Boards can also support staff by reviewing their policies to ensure both compliance with state and federal law, but also the implementation of best practices that can make a real difference for student athletes. A good starting point is through the CSBA sample policies and administrative regulations.