Lee High Lawsuit

Hmmmm.....- from thr KPT

Lack of softball sparks lawsuit against Lee County School Board
BIG STONE GAP - A Pennington Gap family has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Big Stone Gap against the Lee County School Board claiming the board illegally denies their daughters an equal opportunity to participate in interscholastic and other school-sponsored athletics as compared to male students.
Specifically, the suit claims the system fails to offer girls softball at Pennington Middle School.

The basis for the suit is cited as violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title IX requirements which state: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in ... any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

The action seeks a declaratory judgment that the board has violated their daughters' rights under federal law and an injunction requiring the board to immediately cease its discriminatory practices and to remedy the effects of its practices and conduct. Injunctive relief sought includes requiring the board to sponsor and fund a girls softball team and to provide their daughters with treatment and benefits equivalent to that provided to the boys athletic teams at Lee County public schools.....The ******* - represented by Samuel J. Schiller of Cookeville, Tenn.; Ray Yasser of Tulsa, Okla.; and Sue Ella E. Kobak of Pennington Gap - allege in their lawsuit that the defendants have discriminated against their daughters in the areas of funding athletics, scheduling games and practices, transportation, and provision of locker rooms and facilities for both practice and competition.

The parents say one of their daughters is a talented athlete who participates in softball and basketball at Lee High, where she has endured the unequal treatment and benefits directed by the Lee County school system toward its female athletes

[img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]Next it will be over travel times to practice and folks will have to go to the elementary schools to practice so all the kids will be equal distance to/from the school. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[the_alienist]

I think it is about time that parents started standing up for thier girl's sports as much as they fuss about the boys.

I think they deserve as much, but I was talking about the LARGE County wide area and the practice travel/time issues.

[the_alienist]

yeah that is an issue.

[imported_red_66]

This lawsuit is going to put the county school system millions of dollars in debt. The school system will now have to build girls softball fields at Lee High, Pennington Middle School, and Thomas Walker High School all equipped with field houses and lights around the field. All of this is because the Lee High baseball recieved new facilities. What people do not know however is the baseball boosters raised a large sum of the money to build all of the stuff they have. I seriously doubt the girls softball teams are going to raise a dime. Don't get me wrong, I believe the girls deserve equal treatment as the guys, but I doubt they will even have enough girls to field a softball team at Jonesville or Pennington Middle, and all of this money will go to waste.

[mm38nut]

[ QUOTE ]
The school system will now have to build girls softball fields at Lee High, Pennington Middle School, and Thomas Walker High School all equipped with field houses and lights around the field.

[/ QUOTE ]

That has to be cheaper then the lawsuit don't you think...plus the little leagues could use those fields when the girls aren't using them...It has alot of pros then cons if people will be open minded about this...

[pvfan]

[censored] on Title IX. If you want better facilites raise the money yourself. Ever stop and wonder why it cost so much to see a college football game? They have to charge that due to all the money they lose on women sports, clothing is the same way. Look at Maryland for instance, sorry football and basketball here recently. Those sports made a whole lot more money than womens field hockey who won the national title. I'm pretty sure at PV that football supports itself and quite a few other programs. I do think that females should have an opportunity to play sports but not at the expensive of other programs.

[TheBeast]

I'm all for let's bankrupt a county school system so one little girl can go out and throw softballs with a few of her friends and have a fieldhouse to go use the bathroom in. I don't mean to sound mean but I just got a little frustrated about this. There needs to be some kind of study done about how much a girls softball program supported by the MIDDLE school (not high school mind you) would be utilized. As far as I know there isn't MIDDLE school softball in Wise County the girls have a league that goes along with the little league program and supports itself. If there was a need for a school supported program you would think there would already be a little league program like we have here. I feel that this is an attempt by the parents to not be out any money themselves to let their girl play softball before she gets in high school where it is paid for by the school. The easiest thing to do would be to shut down the rest of the sports programs that the MIDDLE school supports and then there is no problem and it will save the county money.

I know this will tick off alot of people but I can't help it I said it now it's done and I can't take it back. Well I could if I deleted this post but what fun is that.

[pvfan]

Why can you not say P i s s?

[Ironlung]

You can't say b o o b s either.