Schiller Law Firm
(931) 528-5050 Telephone
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4113 Cumby Road - Suite 200
Cookeville, Tennessee 38501
(931) 528-5050 Telephone
(866) 275-9970 Fax
Craig v. Apache Public Schools
United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Result of Lawsuit:
Settlement Agreement filed with the Court.
Highlights of Settlement:
1. The School District agreed to comply with the
general mandates of Title IX, its Regulations, and its
Interpretive Guidance.
2. The School District agreed to encourage increased
female participation in school-sponsored sports.
3. The School District agreed to conduct a written survey of student interest in school sports at least once every other year, designed to maximize the input from students and parents. To include in its next survey fourth to sixth grade softball, fourth to twelfth grade volleyball, and fourth to twelfth grade soccer. The School District agreed to add any or all of these sports where sufficient interest is shown.
4. The School District agreed to make reasonable efforts to ensure that the maximum number of games are played by female sports participants. When the maximum number of games are not played, the coach is required to document any reason for not completing a full schedule of games. The School District agreed that failure to play a full schedule of games without adequate reasons shall be grounds to discipline or terminate a coach.
5. The School District agreed to provide all female athletes with uniforms comparable to those provided to its male athletes.
6. The School District agreed if a sufficient number of females are cut from an existing team, it will make a good faith effort to establish a new team at the appropriate level of athletic performance.
7. The School District agreed to review all of its policies related to athletic participation, and if necessary, to adopt policies to encourage girls' sports participation at all levels. This includes a commitment from the School District to permit female students to participate in one or more athletic activities and also participate in non-athletic activities.
8. The School District agreed to provide equipment and supplies to female athletes that are of like quality to equipment and supplies provided to its male athletes.
9. The School District agreed to maintain accurate, sport by sport accounts for revenues and expenditures on an annual basis.
10. The School District agreed to maintain a practice of scheduling athletics for all grade levels in a manner that ensures that male and female students are treated equally with respect to the scheduling of opportunities for practice and the availability of practice facilities.
11. The School District agreed to ensure that coaching salaries are gender-neutral and to use the same efforts to advertise the position and seek the best qualified individual for the position when selecting a coach for female team sports as the District uses in selecting coaches for male team sports.
12. The School District agreed to allow utilization of volunteer coaches in a gender-neutral manner.
13. The School District agreed to construct locker room facilities for girls at a site convenient to the weight facilities. The School District agreed to review its facilities to ensure that the locker rooms available to females are comparable to those available to males.
14. The School District agreed to upgrade the softball field to achieve equivalence with the baseball field.
15. The School District agreed to promote and publicize female sports and encourage female team coaches to utilize available opportunities to publicize female sport involvement and accomplishments.
16. The School District agreed to provide media guides and other information prepared for the media in a similar format and comparable size for teams of either gender.
17. The School District agreed to provide pep rallies on a gender-neutral basis.
18. The School District agreed to the extent that games schedules are printed and/or paid for by the School District, booster clubs, or others, the School District agreed to provide these on a gender-neutral basis.
19. The School District agreed that it has the responsibility to ensure that boys and girls sports are supported equitably.
20. The School District agreed to provide educational seminars for its high school teachers and administrators which explain the mandates of Title IX with respect to athletic programs.
21. The School District agreed to educate its students regarding Title IX and its relationship to student participation in sports, through the schools' physical education classes.