|
AAUW NC
Tar Heel News
Fall 03 issue
Front page
Public Policy
SAR
AAUW NC
Branches
|
|
Public Policy Notes
Important Victory: Title IX Remains Intact
The Department of Education announced they will NOT make any changes to Title
IX, the landmark 1972 law providing women and girls equal opportunity in education
and athletics. After hearing from thousands of women and men, girls and boys,
the Department of Education and the Bush administration backed down from their
original goals/intentions of changing Title IX, announced their support of Title
IX, and acknowledged that, "Nothing in Title IX requires the cutting or reduction
of teams in order to demonstrate compliance with Title IX." The Department
of Education also offered technical assistance to schools regarding enforcement
of Title IX policies. This announcement puts to rest all of the uncertainty that
has come up this past year since a Commission was established to study Title IX.
Title IX received additional support with an important legal victory when a judge
dismissed the wrestlers' claims in their case against the Department of Education.
The court acknowledged that Title IX was a landmark civil rights statute and said
that the wrestlers failed to show that Title IX was the reason their teams were
being dropped; their teams would not be rein-stated even if Title IX were altered;
Title IX's policies provide schools with flexibility to decide how to structure
their athletics programs, and that many factors go into these decisions, aside
from equal opportunity principles.
To read AAUW's statement, see: http://www.aauw.org/about/newsroom/press_releases/030711.cfm
News Flash! Only 3 To Go!
Barbara Ann Hughes, public policy liaison, reported on the status of the Equal
Rights Amendment (ERA) at the summer board meeting.
First proposed in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment is still not part of the U.S.
Constitution. It has been ratified by 35 of the necessary 38 states. When three
more states vote yes, the ERA might become the 28th Amendment.
See http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/
to learn more about the status of this important unfinished business. Ohio is
the most recent state to ratify the ERA.
Pending Legislation Needs Action
Dot Busey
AAUW NC Public Policy Chair, Federal
Hate Crimes
Bipartisan Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Smith (R-OR) are offering a hate crime
prevention amendment to the State Dept. Authorization bill (S. 966). AAUW strongly
supports this passage that will address this serious well-documented problem.
Current law covers hate crimes motivated by a person's race, color, religion,
or national origin but the crime must be committed while the victim is engaged
in specific activities serving on a jury, attending public school, applying for
employment, or voting. Urge both your Senators to vote in support of the bipartisan
Kennedy-Smith Hate Crime Prevention Amendment. Call Senator Dole, 202.224.6342
or e-mail Senator Edwards http://www.senate.gov/~edwards
Federal Budget
House Budget Conference Committee rolled out an unacceptable
new budget proposal. It makes devastating cuts to education, Medicaid,
Smart Start, the T.E.A.C.H. Program, and N.C. Health Choice. Read
more on the Three Year Emergency Revenue Package http://www.nccovenant.org
School Vouchers
School Voucher Program Proposed HR 2556 would establish a voucher program in
Washington, D.C., diverting approximately $75 million in federal funds over five
years to fund tuition, fees, and transportation at private and religious schools,
while doing nothing to improve public schools in D.C. or across the country. Read
AAUW's position paper on school vouchers: www.aauw.org/takeaction/policyissues/schoolvouchers
Charter Schools
Harvard study on Charter Schools found 70 percent of black charter-school
students attend highly segregated schools, compared with 34 percent of black students
who go to other types of public schools. Financed by public money, the nation's
2,300 charter schools are located in 16 states and educate about one percent of
American School children. Creating choice without serious civil-rights policies
tends to reflect and even reinforce segregation.
Harvard information is from Newsweek, July 21. All other information is from
AAUW sources.
Pay Equity Study Commission for NC
[This article differs from the published version to take better advantage
of online resources.]
- At the July 11 board meeting, AAUW NC endorsed a Resolution
in support of a Pay Equity Study Commission in NC (bills S747/H544). For more
information, see www.ncwu.org/alerts
or contact the NC Alliance for Economic Justice, www.ncaej.org,
2824 Barrett Dr., Suite 312, Raleigh NC 27609, info@ncaej.org,
919/786-1345, 919/786-7475 (Fax).
|
