The Hawaii Board of Education settled a lawsuit brought by athletes and their parents after girls were allegedly forced to practice in the ocean and run to Burger King to use the bathroom.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by girls at James Campbell High School, who alleged that Hawaii’s largest high school systematically discriminated against them based on their gender, The New York Times reported.
The women’s water polo team reportedly had to practice in the ocean, even in dangerous conditions, and other athletes had to use the bathroom at a local Burger King and change on the bus or under the bleachers because the school did not provide a locker. room, they stated in court documents.
Their male counterparts had “exclusive access to a separate sports locker room” where they could “store equipment, change, shower, use the bathrooms, hold team meetings and develop team spirit,” the athletes maintained.
“Female athletes have nothing comparable,” according to the 2018 lawsuit, filed by two members of the women’s water polo team against the Department of Education and the Oahu Interscholastic Association.
The case gained traction in July 2022 when a federal judge ruled that it could become a class-action lawsuit.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by two girls on the James Campbell High School water polo team, who alleged that Hawaii’s largest high school systematically discriminated against sex and gender, The New York Times reported. Facebook/Ashley Badis
In the settlement, the state agreed to hire an independent evaluator to ensure gender equity. Additionally, the Honolulu school must follow a seven-year compliance plan and create a hotline to report discrimination.
The board agreed to settle Friday for an undisclosed amount.
“We are hopeful that this monumental agreement will be a cornerstone in Hawaii and across the country for a future in which all girls are guaranteed the rights required by Title IX,” Jayma Meyer, an attorney, told The Times. of the athletes.
Ashley Badis, one of the girls who filed the lawsuit, told The Times: “I’m happy that future students won’t have to go through what my teammates and I went through. “We just wanted girls to have the same opportunities to play as boys.”
The women’s water polo team reportedly had to practice in the ocean, even in dangerous conditions, and other athletes had to use the bathroom at a local Burger King and change on the bus or under the bleachers because the school did not provide a locker. room. Their male counterparts had “exclusive access to a separate sports locker room” where they could “store equipment, change, shower, use the bathrooms, hold team meetings and develop team spirit.” SOPA/LightRocket Images via Getty Images
Badis, now 22, said at the time that the school threatened to cancel the women’s water polo team entirely when girls reported discrimination.
The lawsuit also alleges that the state Department of Education prioritized updating facilities for men over providing them to women, according to Clearing House.
The DOE and OIA claimed they had made improvements for women’s sports at the school, including a new baseball and softball field and locker rooms for softball players.
Additionally, the state has allocated $6 million to the DOE for James Campbell High School’s athletic facilities, which will include girls’ lockers. The funds are part of a $60 million Title IX effort, according to The Times.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn