By Melanie Bennett
A mother contacted the Foundation for help with her daughter's fight to remain on her high school football team. Although none of the males on the team are required to try out for the team or take a physical fitness test, the coaches of the team required her daughter to do so. This test includes a seven-foot-long jump. The coaches failed the athlete on the fitness test and recommended that she join the field hockey team instead. The Advocacy Department explained that the school has an obligation under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to treat female and male athletes equally in participation in contact sports. We sent her
Playing Fair, a resource that explains Title IX rules and regulations to help athletes, coaches, parents and others better analyze their school's athletic programs;
A Step by Step Guide to Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step-by-step plan for achieving gender equity; and
Coed Participation—Girls Playing on Boys' Teams and Male Versus Female Competition, a Foundation position paper on the permissibility of same sex and co-ed athletic competition. We suggested she work within the school first to address this complaint.
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