ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

Policy Change Comes After Notice From ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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MOULTON, AL – The Lawrence County School District in Alabama has agreed to end single-sex classes in public schools after being notified by the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û that sex segregated programs are illegal and discriminatory.

"We're very pleased that the Lawrence County School District has agreed to abandon sex segregation programs," said Allison Neal, a staff attorney with the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û of Alabama. "We hope that now the county will focus on efforts that we know can improve all students' education, like smaller classes and more teacher training and parental involvement."

Under the settlement agreement, the school district agreed to end the single-sex education program at East Lawrence Middle School. Beginning in the fall of 2009, all courses will be integrated in every school in the county, and no school will institute any sex segregated programs for the next three years. From fall 2012 through spring 2015, Lawrence County will not institute any sex segregated program without first notifying the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û.

In an Open Records Act (ORA) request sent to the school board in December 2008, the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û and the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û of Alabama asked the school district for information about its sex segregated programs because of concerns that the programs might be discriminatory. The ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û informed the school district in a letter that mandatory sex segregation in public schools violates Title IX of the Education Amendments, the Equal Education Opportunities Act and the U.S. Constitution.

Through the ORA inquiry, the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û learned that students in East Lawrence Middle School were being assigned to single-sex courses. The school district's ORA response stated that teachers were encouraged to teach boys and girls differently. For example, according to the school district's response, "a writing prompt for a boy may be what place in the world he would most like to go hunting or drive on a race track where the girls may write about their dream wedding dress or their ideal birthday party."

"The very different gender-specific lessons encouraged at East Lawrence Middle School were not equal; they were creating and enforcing gender stereotypes," said Emily Martin, Deputy Director of the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û Women's Rights Project. "Unfortunately, we've seen time and time again that sex segregated classes are inherently unequal and diminish the diversity in public schools that best prepares students for life outside the classroom."

In November 2008, the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û sent ORA requests to 10 school districts in Alabama based on information that each was operating sex segregated classes in public schools. Of those 10 school districts, nine have either since abandoned sex segregation programs or had previously ceased segregating students by sex.

Attorneys who worked on the settlement agreement and Open Records Act request include Neal from the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û of Alabama and Martin and Lenora Lapidus from the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û Women's Rights Project.

The settlement agreement is available online at: www.aclu.org/womensrights/edu/40126lgl20090706.html

The ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û's Open Records request is available online at: www.aclu.org/womensrights/edu/38096res20081215.html

More information on the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ¿ª½±½á¹û Women's Rights Project work on sex segregation is available at: www.aclu.org/sexsegregation