1) Check the section of Title IX that talks about "significant assistance." I
always told schools that they could not pass on information about an activity
that excluded one sex, even if the activity was not sponsored by the school,
because it would give significant assistance to a discriminatory activity.
Would the assistance of the Dept of Ed fit this profile?
2) What if a boy or boys wanted to attend the GEMS conference? Would they be
turned away? Why? Why not allow the few boys who want to come do so? When
you turn them away, you are clearly discriminating, unless you have a clear
evaluation that there has been specific, disparate treatment of the girls in
each of their schools that has led to their being denied an opportunity. Then
you are taking affirmative steps to rectify past discrimination. We all know
about how girls are treated differently in classes, but my understanding from
U.S. Dept of Ed conferences over the years is that anything separate has to
really be defended and supported with specific evidence to justify
separateness.
What do others think about these points; am I off base?
Melissa Keyes <Equitymk@aol.com>