May 17—Academy School District 20 has hired a Texas-based law firm to complete an assessment of boys' and girls' athletics at Pine Creek High School in light of Title IX concerns at the school.
The assessment is intended to comply with an agreement the district signed in March with the U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights.
The agreement was signed by Superintendent J. Thomas Gregory March 24 following a complaint made by a parent about the equity between boys' and girls' sports at Pine Creek. The agreement is a not an admission of liability or wrongdoing, the document reads. The upcoming assessment is chief among several steps the district must take to resolve allegations made by the complainant.
To this end, the district hired law firm Thompson and Horton to conduct the assessment, meeting a 60-day deadline to turn in the name and credentials of the proposed assessor to the Office for Civil Rights after signing of the agreement, district spokesperson Allison Cortez said on May 11.
In the assessment, Thompson and Horton would review the quality and availability of Pine Creek's locker rooms as well as the quality, amount, maintenance and availability of equipment and supplies. The assessment also will look at travel and per diem expenses, including modes of transportation, medical training facilities and services.
Other requirements of the agreement include training of key personnel, such as the high school principal, athletics director and coaches; a letter to the person who initiated the complaint, inviting them to participate in future volunteer opportunities; and a list to include all team managers on all Pine Creek teams, the gender of the managers, and which managers attended out-of-state trips related to athletic teams for the 2023-2024 school year.
The district had 60 days from the signing of the agreement to submit training material and a list of who would participate to the Office for Civil Rights. Cortez said that D-20 had submitted a plan with multiple training options and is awaiting a response from the office.
Cortez also said the district has submitted a draft of the email to be sent to the person who made the complaint. It is currently under review by the Office for Civil Rights.