Parents of female student-athletes at Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) member schools filed suit on June 16, 2009 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida against the Athletic Association, alleging that the Association's "Policy 6" violated the students' rights under Title IX of the Education Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and State law. Policy 6 reduced the athletic schedules of all high school sports except boys' football and competitive cheerleading. The plaintiffs sought a declaratory judgment that Policy 6 constituted illegal sex discrimination, a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent the implementation of the new Policy 6 and any other scheduling cuts that would inequitably burden one sex over another, monetary damages, attorneys' fees and costs and any other remedies available at law.

The plaintiffs alleged that Policy 6, which reduced the number of competitions that a school can schedule by 20% while excluding boys' football, discriminated against female athletic teams by inequitably reducing the scheduling of games and practice times in contravention to federal and state law. Although Policy 6 also excluded cheerleading, cheerleading was not recognized as a sport for purposes of Title IX in the state of Florida. The plaintiffs claimed that even if cheerleading were included, Policy 6 exempted nine times as many boys as girls from the scheduling requirement.

The parties reached a settlement Agreement on October 7, 2009, in which FHSAA agreed not to make any changes to Policy 6 that treats one gender differently than the other. The Association agreed to evaluate the effects on each gender before implementing any changes, and to give two weeks-advanced notice before implementing any changes to the policy. The Association also agreed to provide training to all attendees of the Association's Assemblies and Seminars regarding the Association's obligations under Title IX and other applicable gender equity laws. The settlement was in effect until 2015. The case is now closed.

Carlyn Williams - 03/17/2014
- 11/26/2018


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