[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 79 (Thursday, June 6, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING THE 41ST ANNIVERSARY OF TITLE IX

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 6, 2013

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, later this month, on June 23, 2013, we 
will mark the 41st anniversary of the enactment of Title IX amendment. 
This landmark legislation changed America for the better by mandating 
equality for women in educational programs and activities. As we 
continue to move forward in terms of women's equality, I believe that 
it is important to recognize how far we have already come.
  Title IX has resulted in significant advances for women in athletics. 
Since its enactment, Title IX has promoted equal opportunity for women 
in athletics and contributed to the athletic and educational 
achievement of hundreds of thousands of young American women. In 1972, 
before there was a Title IX, less than 300,000 high school girls 
participated in intramural sports nationwide. Today, that number has 
grown ten-fold to more than three million. In similar fashion, the 
amount of young women participating in college sports has increased by 
more than 600 percent, from fewer than 30,000 in 1972 to more than 
190,000 in 2012.
  While recognizing the advances in sports that Title IX has provided, 
it is important also to acknowledge the progress made outside of 
athletics. Title IX itself makes no explicit mention of sports or 
athletics; its reach extends to all areas of education. Title IX has 
helped make it possible for women to pursue careers in all fields, 
including the increasingly important fields of science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
  Title IX has also helped to ensure that as women and girls take 
advantage of these educational opportunities, they are able to do so in 
an environment free of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and 
violence.
  In my state of Texas, for example, young women are making their mark 
in academics, in athletics, and in standing up for what is right. Just 
last year, a young high school female in Texas was assaulted at school 
by a classmate. The school's response to the incident was to send the 
young woman, and her attacker, to an alternative school for 45 days--
where she had to suffer the indignity of seeing him daily. The young 
woman, assisted by the ACLU of Texas, filed a complaint with the U.S. 
Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
  Title IX granted this young woman the right to an educational 
experience free from gender discrimination or retaliation. As a result, 
the OCR determined that the school had violated her rights when they 
failed to adequately address her complaint. This decision resulted in 
clearing the young woman's disciplinary record and required the school 
district to reevaluate the way it handles sexual assault. A new set of 
Title IX procedures was developed and staff members were trained to 
respond accordingly to future incidents.
  Through Title IX's legacy, educational environments have changed 
substantially. Women of all ages have had the opportunity to take 
advantage of the rights allotted to them through the amendment, and we 
can only move forward from here in terms of gender equality. Title IX 
guarantees the civil right to learn free from discrimination, 
retaliation, and sexual violence. This victory is something that every 
student, parent, and educator can celebrate today, tomorrow, and for 
many years to come.

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