From Rebeccas Lubetkin - VFA Board Member

FROM Galen Sherwinm, Senior Staff Attorney of the American Civil Liberties Union

I'm happy to report that the

BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS ABANDONED ITS SEX SEGREGATION AT HUFFMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL AS A RESULT OF ACLU'S OCR COMPLAINT AGAINST THE PROGRAM

This is significant because it is the first time the agency has investigated and taken action against so broad a single-sex program, leading to the program being halted. (The program started out as complete, involuntary sex separation across the entire school, but was scaled back last year following ACLU’s intervention).

Although OCR did not issue a formal finding that the school was in violation of the law, the agency told the ACLU that school district officials decided to drop the program because they were "not interested in attempting to continue the single sex classes in a manner that would comply with the Title IX requirements." This, of course, suggests that the agency investigation had made clear to the district that its existing program was not in compliance. The letter also suggests that the investigation was focused on the use of different teaching methods for boys and girls and the lack of an adequate justification.

http://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights/alabama-another-unlawful-single-sex-program-goes-co-ed

Galen Sherwin Senior Staff Attorney American Civil Liberties Union 125 Broad St., New York, NY 10004 ■ o 212.519.7819 ■ f 212.549.2580 ■ gsherwin@aclu.org www.aclu.org