Photo: Getty
A Texas high school student-athlete claims she was punished for exercising in a sports bra while other male athletes practiced shirtless.
“I saw a couple of the guys running without their shirts on — on campus and off campus — and they weren’t being told anything,” the girl, a member of the girls' cross-country and track teams, told the outlet. “So, I took off my shirt, obviously, and I got in trouble for it.”
“Being overlooked for this award despite excelling as an athlete and teammate was devastating for G.H. and further confirmed that her coaches were mistreating her after she spoke out about the dress code and gender disparities in the athletics program,” the letter, addressed to the Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD), said.
G.H. also claimed she was transferred to the sprinting team during the winter, and that her distance coaches allegedly “deliberately ignored” her.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, SBISD said it “denies any discrimination and treats students equally and fairly.”
“We are aware of the situation with one student at one of our high schools who is dissatisfied with SBISD practices, which are applied to all athletes at that campus,” they added. “SBISD is currently investigating this matter.”
G.H.’s letter claims there were also other gender differences, such as the boys' team receiving more feedback and praise and more supervision during both practices and meets.
The ACLU warned the district that the allegations potentially put them in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX.
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The teen and her father want to see change.
“I’m hoping to see that the district changes their policy and that they have a change of heart of what they’ve been saying,” the teen added to KHOU. “And, like, they actually own up to their mistakes.”
source: people.com
