A common complaint amongst many in Charleston may be that local youth are not engaged enough in tackling the problems facing the community. This perceived lack of community engagement may not necessarily be due to an apathetic attitude, but rather a lack of knowledge as to the resources available to them. Kids and teens may face problems similar to the ones adults struggle with, and like adults, they have the opportunity to seek legal recourse if that is what is needed to adequately address the issues they are facing. Seeing them attempt to tackle their problems in such a mature manner may no doubt be inspiring to others in the community.
That is exactly what a pair of high school students in Hawai’i are hoping to do by participating in a federal class action lawsuit against the state’s Department of Education and the local high school activities association. Their claim is that these entities have been in violation of Title IX by de-emphasizing girls’ sports at a local high school. They point to the fact that added resources have been poured into boys’ programs in recent years while those available to the girls have waned. Boys sports teams are also afforded more opportunities to travel and play at bigger venues and on weekends, while the girls are left to play during the week (which can impact their school work). The lawsuit also claims that not enough opportunities are being afforded to girls to participate in sports.
Both girls stated their hope that their efforts will benefit the underclassmen just entering the school. Given the commonality of their cause (and others like it), it makes sense to seek a class action rather than separate lawsuits. Those needing assistance with such an action may find it in the form of an attorney.
