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10/3/12
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2317 views
Editorial
Hold on, Hartselle schools
The Hartselle Board of Education expects its students to do their homework, but it apparently failed to do its own when designing the athletic complex for the new high school.
Since 1972, federal law has required schools to maintain rough equality in programs for male and female athletes.
The law — Title IX — makes sense, especially on the high school level.
Hartselle High School — scheduled for completion early next year — is being financed by women and men, and by just as many parents with daughters as parents with sons.
A major justification for spending taxpayer money on high school athletics is the recognition that sports promote discipline, teamwork and healthy lifestyles, which are just as important in the development of girls as boys.
Also because of Title IX, girls who excel in athletics have the same opportunities for college scholarships as their male counterparts.
Against this backdrop, the Hartselle school board approved a $2 million athletic complex that has no locker room space for girls' sports. The plan would renovate the old baseball complex for girls' softball but build a 50,000-square-foot athletic facility for baseball and football.
Officials are justifying the plans by claiming girls in the new high school will have better sports facilities than they had in the old one. Experts in Title IX law, however, said that is not the standard.
"Women shouldn't be tricked into thinking that improvements are better than nothing," said Peter S. Finley, associate professor of sports management at Nova Southeastern University. "It's the school leaders' responsibility to make sure equitable treatment takes place."
Not only is the school board's plan for the athletic complex unfair to girls, it is likely to expose the school system to expensive lawsuits.
Before construction on the athletic complex begins, the school board needs to do the homework it should have done early in the process. It needs to hire a Title IX lawyer to work with the architects. It needs to redesign the athletic complex to comply with federal law and to be fair to all students.
All Hartselle residents deserve the benefits that will come from a state-of-the-art athletic complex. Reserving the best facilities for boys is unfair, and probably illegal.
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Possibly the best a most fair editorial I have read in this paper. I love my hometown. That being said they could have a much better school board and superintendent (the latter being the worst). The school dropped the ball by not planning this better. I really thought the original floor plans were designed where boys sports would be on one side of the field house and girls on the other and it was all adjacent to the new gym. Thats what was posted at one of the football games while they were trying to get approval.
If you have a daughter or grand daughter in this school system it is now time to stand up and demand equality in this venture. Too long have the school board and superintendent done lip service to female sports while spending thousands for their precious male teams. Call in the feds on this one if they do not comply. The girls deserve equal facilities, they are important too.
How much revenue do girls sports generate at Hartselle High?
Otis did Andy just let you out. Revenue is not the issue here it is equality for boys and girls.
OTIS.It is not about revenue, but character and education. There are somethings that do not have a monetary value!
A superintendent is hired to do things according to law, not what is popular. A school board is appointed to act the same way. They have FAILED with this decision.
OMG Someone will not be invited anymore!! How dare you finally call out Hartselle. Didn't you know that girls don't bring in scolarships??? And Hartselle male sport bring in SO much money... the only thing in Hartselle is a bunch of grown men trying to live through their sons making their lives miserable. Maybe someone will sue them!! How funny will that be!!
Well according to the article printed in Sunday's or Monday's edition regarding the Title IX issue, the interim "COACH" just wanted to fix up the existing softball fields for the girls. Way to go there "COACH" for taking up for those girls and being their voice for wanting to have a facility that could be used for them while meeting federal requirements! Thank goodness they didn't keep her as the softball coach and hired a REAL COACH. All of the sudden the interim "COACH" couldn't be reached for comment but is still employed within the school system. So, she could be blamed for making that decision for those softball girls. From what I've heard, that's why some of those girls quit the team anyway last year. They didn't want her to become the head coach. She's not a proven coach or leader. All she wants to do is go to games or tournaments, sit back, eat and drink. She doesn't know how to coach a team. She's LAZY!!!! The school system needs to get rid of these lazy "coaches" that sit back and collect supplemental pay on top of their salary while only playing/scheduling a couple of games during the season that they are listed as a coach for. I'm tired of these types of "coaches" collecting MY hard earned tax dollars!
Unbeliveable dumb decision by the Supt. and elected BOE. Be careful whom you elect as you may not want them after they get into office.
If you were at the Athens football game you would have seen terrible sportsmanship by 12 boys from Hartselle blowing loud horns when Athens was on offense.
just another day in hartselle sports.right along with the baseball players living in post office boxes,while there parents live on danville road s.w.