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State College Area School District considering new club sports policy after Title IX lawsuit

The middle school co-ed hockey team practices at Pegula Ice Arena, seen here in a Jan. 5, 2018 Penn State men's hockey game.
Gene J. Puskar
/
AP
The middle school co-ed hockey team practices at Pegula Ice Arena, seen here in a Jan. 5, 2018 Penn State men's hockey game.

After a Title IX lawsuit, the State College Area School District discussed a new draft policy for club sports at Monday's school board meeting.

The new policy provides a pathway for teams to become club sports, which would give them access to school resources like facilities and a district employee to oversee the team.

Interim Superintendent Curtis Johnson explained the new policy at the beginning of the meeting.

"Our club sports now fall under the athletic department rather than the guidelines directing our extracurricular activities," Johnson said.

The change comes after backlash when the middle school co-ed ice hockey team's roster was released. The team consisted of 19 boys and no girls.

This led the parents of the excluded girls to file a Title IX lawsuit.

After court recommendations, the district agreed to make a second team, but parents were still not happy.

At the meeting, members of the public and board members, like Daniel Duffy, spoke in support of the girls.

"[We are] allowing kids who are vulnerable to feel that they belong, and making policies that accomplish that," Duffy said.

The board is scheduled to vote on the policy at its Feb. 6 meeting.

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Katie Knol is a WPSU radio news intern for fall 2022.