Senators Snowe, Murray Ensure Level Playing Field for High School Women’s Athletics
Senators Snowe, Murray Ensure Level Playing Field for High School Women’s Athletics
Celebrating the 39th anniversary of Title IX, Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Washington) introduced legislation to enhance transparency and ensure equity in high school athletic programs. The High School Data Transparency Act of 2011 would direct the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics to collect information regarding participation in high school athletics broken down by gender; teams; race and ethnicity; and overall expenditures, including items like travel expenses, equipment and uniforms. This information would ensure fairness in high school athletic programs across the nation.
“For nearly forty years, Title IX has opened doors by giving women and girls an equal opportunity to participate in student athletic programs,” said Senator Snowe. “Indeed, prior to Title IX, only 1 in 27 high school girls – fewer than 300,000 nationwide – played sports. Today, the number is more than 2.9 million, an increase of 900 percent in 39 years! This legislation will enhance women’s involvement in high school athletics by allowing us to assess current opportunities for sports participation and address deficiencies where necessary.”
“39 years ago today, Title IX began leveling the playing field for girls’ sports. In that time, girls from across the country have been given the opportunity to compete in sports and to develop the self-confidence, teamwork, and athletic skills that will stay with them for a lifetime,” said Senator Murray. “But if we’re going to continue this progress, we must make certain that the law is being followed. And that’s exactly what this legislation does—it provides student athletes and their parents key information so that they know if their schools are giving girls the same chance to participate in sports as their male peers.”