Girls Slighted

Girls have fewer opportunities than boys to play high school sports and receive inferior equipment and locker rooms, say federal lawsuits filed against three Nebraska school districts.

The suits filed in U.S. District Court in Omaha and a similar suit filed Monday in federal court in Lincoln may be the first court challenges of equity for girls in sports at the high school level, said Alan Stoler, one of the attorneys representing the families who sued the schools.

Each suit alleges the schools have violated the federal Title IX education rules that require schools that receive federal funds to treat boys and girls equally.

Each suit specifically seeks a schoolsponsored and school-funded girls’ varsity softball team to begin play this fall. Each suit also asks the court to order the schools to treat girls’ athletic teams on par with boys’ teams.