Field Of Dreams

Girls' Life, April, 2001

Sandy, unkempt fields, hypodermic needles, dirty bathrooms...that's what the girls' softball teams in Brevard County, Fla., were forced to deal with during competitive seasons. While the boys' baseball teams practiced at school facilities with refrigerated coolers and plenty of storage space for their equipment, the girls were forced to use filth-infested Marina Park.

So what did the softball teams of Astronaut and Titusville high schools do? They sued their school district for gender discrimination in education under Title IX--and won! A federal judge in Orlando ruled the Brevard School District discriminated against the softball teams. School District attorney Michael Bowling accused the girls of never complaining about the facility's security or maintenance problems. Hmm, isn't the first paperwork you file for a suit called a complaint? "The girls felt like they were second-class citizens. The fields were dangerous, and girls were getting hurt. The girls would not have faced this if they were on campus," s ays Mark Tietig, attorney for the girls. The judge ordered the school board to make up for the disparities between the two teams. "Attorneys and administrators for the school board want to put fields on campus to be completed by next spring. It's a total victory for the girls," says Tietig.