Two weeks ago, Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center published a Title IX Complaint Template for parents to report schools that fail to protect girls’ safety and privacy in school locker rooms, bathrooms, and on sports teams. This week, MLLC assisted a Walpole father in filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) after his daughter was severely injured by a male player from the Somerset-Berkeley school team during a field hockey tournament.
The Walpole female athlete’s thumb was shattered by the male player when he whipped a shot toward the goal during the game. The father reported that his daughter suffered significant pain from the injury and was forced to miss her freshman ice hockey season because of it.
In his letter addressed to the OCR the Walpole parent requested that the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Somerset-Berkely School District, as well as any other culpable Massachusetts state agency or school district, be investigated for noncompliance with Title IX and with President Trump’s recent executive orders on protecting women and girls in sports. The concerned father asked the office to take swift enforcement action, up to and including revoking federal funds from these schools, organizations, and agencies until they comply with the law.
Read the parent’s formal complaint below.
The MIAA is the governing body that makes the rules for school sports in Massachusetts. Its rules require schools to let boys play on the girls’ team when there is no equivalent boys’ team in a sport, or when a boy identifies as a girl. When this happens, biological females are put at an unnecessary and increased risk of injury. Common sense tells us that girls should compete with other girls, yet the MIAA seems determined to prioritize “equity” and ideology over the health of female student-athletes. What’s more, school districts too easily comply with the MIAA’s dangerous and unfair policy, compounding the injustice suffered by girls playing school sports.
The hard-won freedoms of female athletes, achieved through Title IX, have paved the way for equal opportunities in sports, ensuring that women can compete and excel on the same playing field as their male counterparts. These freedoms must be restored by disallowing biological males to play on female sports teams. If you are a parent and your school district is ignoring Title IX protections, use this template to file an official complaint and ensure federal action is taken. Others can file complaints too, including students, coaches, athletic directors, community members, and others who experience or suspect discrimination in education programs or activities, including in a school’s athletic programs. If you need help filing a complaint reach out to MLLC, contact@malibertylegal.org.
MLLC stands firmly with parents who are speaking out to ensure their daughters’ rights are fully protected. The decision to participate in school sports should never come at the cost of enduring unfair competition or risking serious injury.
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