Title IX has experienced much debate in the years since it was enacted.
In 1972, the Education Amendments of 1972 were signed into law by Richard Nixon, including Title IX. The title, written by Patsy Mink, prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools or extracurricular programs.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the most well-known way that Title IX protects high school athletics is by requiring that schools provide females equal opportunity to participate in sports as males. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) evaluates a school’s compliance with this by checking three categories:
First, whether the school can demonstrate that participation opportunities for females are “substantially proportionate to their enrollment”; second, whether it can show historical and continuing evidence of being “responsive to the developing interests of… female enrollment at the school,” and; third, whether female athletic interests are being fully accommodated.
Additionally, Title IX requires that sports provide equivalent quality of coaches, equipment, practices, and facilities.
Transgender students
According to Know Your IX, Trump administration withdrew guidance regarding transgender students’ rights under the law in 2017. While this left many students unsure about their rights, it did not change the law. Transgender students’ protections remained the same.
This means that schools should allow transgender students to conform to their gender identity by things such as the use of correct names and pronouns and access to rest rooms and locker rooms.
Clarifying the law
It is beneficial to have the law in place, but information regarding it needs to be clearer and easier to find. Because of the confusion caused by removing the guidance to protect transgender students, providing simply-worded updates about the law in places such as school athletic websites could eliminate confusion and help those affected by the law understand their rights.
Additionally, students need to be able to understand their rights in order to stand up for themselves. During Title IX violations such as sexual assault, about 80% of incidents go unreported.
All things considered, providing clear updates about the law will help students to understand their rights and stand up for themselves if they have been violated.