Indianapolis Public Schools reaches agreement with DOE on Title IX violations

[The Straight Story]

U.S. Department of Education and Indianapolis Public Schools Reach Agreement to Provide Equal Access to Interscholastic Athletics for Female Students
February 26, 2014

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The U.S. Department of Education today announced that its Office for Civil Rights has reached an agreement with the Indianapolis Public Schools in Indiana to ensure that the district provides equal athletic opportunities for girls. OCR independently initiated the investigation to examine whether the district discriminated against female students by denying them an equal opportunity to participate in its high school interscholastic athletics program.

OCR found the district to be in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which requires schools to effectively accommodate the athletic interests and abilities of its male and female students but offers schools more than one means of demonstrating compliance, and also requires schools to provide equal benefits to male and female athletes.

The investigation found the district's interscholastic athletics program failed to provide girls an equal opportunity to participate in high school interscholastic athletics, both through failure to provide actual sports opportunities to girls and through failure to provide equal access to practice and competitive facilities, locker rooms, equipment and supplies, and scheduling of games and practice times.

"This resolution agreement embodies the fundamental Title IX principles that school districts must provide girls and boys with both equal opportunity to participate and equal benefits and opportunities as participants in interscholastic athletics programs," said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon. "Girls in schools across the country deserve to expect that their schools will support their desire to compete at a high level in a fair and competitive environment."

http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-and-indianapolis-public-schools-reach-agreement-provide-