Importance of complying with Title IX

To the editor:

Dear Area School Boards and Concerned Community Members:

I am asking you to take a stand by sending a formal letter urging the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Minnesota State High school League (MSHSL), and MN Legislators to fully comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which guarantees equal opportunities for all students in education and athletics. Executive Order 14201 requires student athletes to compete on teams that correspond with their sex assigned at birth and could result in loss of federal funding if our state does not comply. Across the nation, many states have already adopted policies intended to clarify how Title IX applies to school athletics. MDE and MSHSL now face important decisions regarding how to align state policies with federal law. It is essential that these decisions protect both student safety and fair competition, while also safeguarding the federal funding that supports our schools.

As a retired Physical Education (PE) teacher and coach at Jackson County Central (JCC) for 38 years, I have seen firsthand the powerful impact of Title IX. I was in high school when this law passed and I was finally given the opportunity to play sports. Due to this law, I chose to become a PE teacher and coach which I never regretted. When I started teaching PE, it was taught separately for girls and boys at the middle and high school levels and when it became CO-ED I saw negative effects. A number of girls held back and/or gave up competing with the boys due to the boy’s strength and forcefulness. In the same way, transgender athletes have an unfair advantage and can cause serious injury to female athletes. This year we watched Champion Park win the Class 4A State Softball Tournament with a transgender junior pitching, who only allowed 3 hits in a 6-0 shutout. This inequity is more evidence we should fully comply with Title IX of the Education Amendment. To not comply could result in female athletes no longer having the desire to compete in sports after having their years of hard work and dreams demolished and chances of serious injury increased.

If you already contacted the MDE, MSHSL, and your MN Legislators in support of Title IX, I thank you! If not, please do so either individually or, preferably as a full school board. I am proud to hear that members of the JCC and GHEC school boards have already taken steps to advocate for clarity and compliance on this issue. I hope other school boards and citizens across MN will join in affirming the importance of protecting educational equity and funding for all students.

Thank you for your time, your leadership and your dedication to Minnesota’s youth.

Sincerely,

Robin Carlson

Welcome, MN