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Sunday, January 04, 2009
Ind. Courts - More on "Girl sues IHSAA to play baseball"
Updating this ILB entry from Nov. 25th, which included a link to the 15-page complaint, an AP story today reports:
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- A freshman girl would be allowed to try out for the Bloomington South baseball team under an agreement reached after her family filed a federal lawsuit over an Indiana High School Athletic Association rule that could have barred her from the team. * * *"They will agree to allow Logan to try out for the baseball team. If she's successful, she'll be permitted to play," said James Whitlatch, an attorney for the school district.
An IHSAA rule prohibits girls from trying out for baseball if their school has a softball team on the basis that the sports are comparable. But the lawsuit filed Nov. 21 in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis argues that baseball and softball aren't really the same sport, so girls should be able to try out for baseball.
The suit seeks to have the IHSAA rule thrown out based on the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and Title IX, the federal law that mandates equal educational opportunities for boys and girls.
The suit, filed by Young and her parents, Marie-Elisabeth and Russell Young of Bloomington, names the IHSAA and the school district as defendants.
The settlement agreement, which includes no monetary payment, is between the school district and the family and doesn't include the IHSAA, Whitlatch said. He said he expected the paperwork for the settlement to be filed in federal court within a few days.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 4, 2009 08:59 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts