Title IX experience?

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obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
Does anyone here have experience with Title IX.
We have a situation where over the past 5 or 10 years, our public high school has funished new facilities for every sport except for ice hockey (no rink) and softball.

We have been having difficulty getting a meeting with town government (who, offline, say they are in syupport of a new softball field) Just wondering if this carries any weight here. Town installed a new $18,000 backstop for the HS baseball team 2 years ago and now theyre spending another $20,000 to take it down nd build one in the correct location.
 
Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
My understanding is every school district is suppose to have a Title IX coordinator. I know when dealing with a school district that was dragging its feet on getting my rec league the same amount of field space per player as they were providing the baseball leagues, the magic phrase 'Who is the Title IX coordinator our pro bono attorney should contact' got them moving to get us more field space.

https://www.higheredjobs.com/articles/articleDisplay.cfm?ID=399
 
Feb 13, 2018
162
28
No suggestions but I feel ya! Our high school baseball team has a beautiful field and facilities, including had a professional come in and do work on drainage systems. Same with the football team. Our high school softball field was given to the football team as a practice field and they do some track and field stuff on it also. We were moved to the Park District field, which is fairly nice but not "ours" so we have to stick by their strict rules and listen to then complain if a visiting team hits on the grass, drives over a culvert, we play when the field is a little wet, or if they find specs of dirt anywhere in the dugout or bathrooms............
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
What I do not understand is am I allowed to donate $100,000 to football team or do I have to donate the money to athletic department to disperse.

If I am able to donate that money to football does they school need to find similar money for women sports somewhere?
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
What I do not understand is am I allowed to donate $100,000 to football team or do I have to donate the money to athletic department to disperse.

If I am able to donate that money to football does they school need to find similar money for women sports somewhere?

We had a similar issue locally when I was involved with local youth sports. A local man wanted to donate money to install lights at the youth baseball field. Some parents involved with the softball program cried foul and tried to insist that lights also be installed on their field. Bickering went back and forth for a while, until the softball group decided to find a lawyer. While this was occurring, the person that offered to donate the money grew tired and decided to retract his offer and donate it to another organization. In the end, neither group got their lights...
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
We have been having difficulty getting a meeting with town government (who, offline, say they are in syupport of a new softball field)

This part bothers me a little bit. I have my views which might be different then yours, dang it both views should be heard.

If I was wound up about something I would not think I would give them a choice then to hear me. Might take some work but they will hear me.
 

JohnnyO

Began this habit in 1980
May 13, 2015
270
18
Midwest
In our town the local baseball association that organizes summer baseball has funded a lot of the HS baseball field improvements and the softball fields sits and gets nothing. Is that fair?
 
Jan 22, 2011
1,610
113
Opening post says the town has spent $38,000 to install a backstop twice on a baseball field, while no money has been spent on the softball field. Nothing in post says money was provided by a booster or local baseball organization.
 
Jun 29, 2013
589
18
It's not an easy issue to diagnose, obbay. Check the Mass. statutes to see if there's one that mirrors Title IX, that might be your better argument with the current climate at the Dept. of Justice and appointed federal judges. In CA there's a Government Code statute that requires Community Services Districts and School Districts to spend equally on sports offered to the genders (I know, there are arguments that more than 2 exist but for this post please bear with me and assume there are only 2.) They get around the funding at the CSD level by telling each organization (Ripken Baseball, USA Softball, etc.) that they can bid on any field they want and each field gets equal funding from the CSD. What they don't acknowledge is that obviously the grass infields are not and will never be softball fields, and that the boys organizations get funding to improve their field from donors once they win the right to use the fields.
At the high school level, there are other ways to get around the funding, but despite the fact that I see the same issue that you are seeing at your local high school in numerous states, they get around the issue by trying to shame the parents of female athletes into not complaining.
 

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