Parents, on behalf of and as next of friends of their minor daughters, students at Sperry Public Schools, filed suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma on June 12, 1998, alleging that the school district had violated the female students' rights under the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX of the Education Amendment. The plaintiffs sought class certification on behalf of all present and future female students of Sperry Public Schools who participate, seek to participate, or are deterred from participating in interscholastic and other school-sponsored activities at Sperry Public Schools. The plaintiffs alleged that the school district had discriminated against female students with respect to funding and opportunities that should accompany an equal right to participate in interscholastic activities.

Judge Sven Erik Holmes certified the class on December 21, 1998. On January 6, 2000, the parties filed a settlement agreement with the court, in which the school district agreed to take affirmative steps to increase female student participation in sports. The district agreed to offer middle school softball during the current school year, and to conduct a survey of interest in girls' volleyball and/or soccer. Furthermore, the district agreed to conduct the survey every three years to gauge female students' interest in the addition of new sports. The district also agreed to establish a system of revenue and accounting for expenditures for male and female sports, and to make the report of such spending available to a requesting party. Additionally, the district agreed to take steps to remedy the discrimination, including adopting training related to gender equity, select coaches for male and female teams using the same criteria, provide off-season training and equipment to female athletes commensurate with that offered to male athletes, open the weight room to both male and female students and make appropriate accommodations for female students, institute a reporting process for suspected violations of Title IX. The school district agreed to designate certain locker rooms for female student use, including splitting the use of the football locker rooms between the male football team in the fall and female teams in the spring, until a new facility for female athletes was constructed.

On March 20, 2000, Judge Holmes awarded attorneys' fees to the plaintiffs totaling $32,873.01. The case was dismissed on November 27, 2000.

Carlyn Williams - 04/14/2014


compress summary