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AFT Resolution

STRENGTHEN TITLE IX

WHEREAS, Title IX (enacted in 1972) was the first comprehensive federal law to prohibit sex discrimination against students and employees of educational institutions; and

WHEREAS, under this law, males and females are expected to receive fair and equal treatment in all arenas of public schooling: recruitment, admissions, educational programs and activities, course offerings and access, counseling, financial aid, employment assistance, facilities and housing, health and insurance benefits, marital and parental status, scholarships, sexual harassment and athletics; and
 
WHEREAS, in spite of the benefits Title IX has provided since 1972, it has been challenged in recent years, and enforcement has been weakened by such acts as the U.S. Department of Education announcing plans for changing Title IX to allow for sorting students by sex into separate classes or separate schools; and
 
WHEREAS, another recent change allows schools to define women’s sport opportunities based on a single e-mail survey to potential participants; and
 
WHEREAS, girls and women are still isolated and excluded by the culture of the Science, Technology and Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, which often results in discouraging them from pursuing the higher-paying careers:
RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers initiate and support efforts to protect and strengthen Title IX by:
  • pursuing the federal government to expand oversight of Title IX enforcement and to increase resources and incentives for research and development of effective gender equity programs.
  • advocating for correcting the problems in co-education environments rather than setting up more classes separated by gender.
  • opposing sex-based educational tracks that persistently direct girls toward gender-stereotyped courses that limit them to lower-paying careers.
  • seeking federal oversight over schools whose obligation it is to have policies and procedures in place to address sexual harassment complaints.
  • encouraging the monitoring of compliance with Title IX in local schools.

(2009)

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