A 12-year-old student from Ohio will be assisted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a fight against the school administration to allow her to play football, Fox News reported.
Makhaela Jenkins has been denied the chance to play football by her school in Baltimore, Ohio because the district does not permit girls to participate in contact sports, specifically football and wrestling. Although she's played the sport for years, Liberty Union-Thurston District superintendent Paul Matthews said he's not breaking any laws.
"We are not violating Title IX," Mathews said. "We have opportunities for girls, but those opportunities do not include contact sports."
According to Matthews, the district is allowed to determine which sports are available to girls and which ones are not.
"We think we have plenty of places for everyone to fit in, but it is simply a choice," he said.
In a letter sent to Matthews on Thursday, the ACLU said the district's decision is "unacceptable and unlawful." The organization also suggested there is no "legitimate basis" for the district's claims to prevent female students from joining the football team.
The school district has yet to respond to the letter.
"Some people have different goals and dreams they want to follow, and if they want to play a sport, they should be able to play a sport no matter what gender you are," Jenkins said.
The seventh grader also claimed she has the right to play because she's spent time training and practicing, just like the other players. She also played for a football league unassociated with the school.
"It sets me apart from everybody else, and it lets other people know it's OK to be different and you don't have to follow what everybody else does," she said.
The Title IX law reads, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.."
