Michigan high school allegedly pressured female students to disclose personal details by threatening their grades
Tell the school, or you will risk a lower grade.
A high school in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, has come under public scrutiny after a parent shared concerns about a gym syllabus that allegedly required its female students to disclose intimate information. The issue was supposedly exacerbated by the threat that students could receive lower grades if they failed to do so.
The Guardian reported that Lakeview High School allegedly released a school policy for female students who are unable to join swim classes because of their menstrual cycle. In particular, the school is said to be requiring the students to submit a “written/email note from a parent” that declares the duration of their monthly cycle so that they’d be given an opportunity to “make up the days” they miss.
Female students who miss swim classes would “not just sit out” the lesson, according to the school, but would be made to complete “dry land workouts” if a note from the parent confirming the cycle length was submitted. It’s unclear when the policy was implemented, or if other classes had something similar, but that didn’t stop parents from showing their concern over the seemingly invasive requirement.
Michigan high school can lower grades
Andy Amsdill, the father of a female Lakeview High School student, told WXYZ Detroit that it was a “ridiculous” requirement enforced by the school. “The teacher wants us to either send a note or an email with the suspected length of the cycle, which, by itself, is ridiculous,” Amsdill said.
While the gym policy does provide a way for female students to make up for missed classes, what might have added to the concern, aside from disclosing private information, was the apparent loss of a grade a student may receive. Lakeview High School will reportedly place students on a “grade reduction scale” if they fail to compensate for the missed class, as it will be considered a “non-participation day.”
Another parent of a female student at the Michigan school, Bryan Shishakly, told CBS News that his daughter faced the repercussions that came with the policy. “My response was like, ‘If they ask, you have no obligation to tell them.’ And it did affect her grade,” Shishakly said. “She’s a straight-A student, and she ended up with a C in gym. I don’t know how fair that is since it’s only going to apply to the girls at the school.”
The policy could be breaking Title IX
Amid the backlash, Karl D. Paulson, the superintendent of Lakeview Public Schools, released a statement to seemingly assuage parents over their concerns. Paulson claimed they are committed “to partnering with parents to address any issue” and have scheduled a meeting to discuss the problem further. “The Lakeview school district remains fully committed to educational excellence and best practices in all it does,” Paulson said.
“That is nobody’s business but hers, her doctors, and whoever she feels like sharing that with,” Amsdill added. He also questioned the legality of such a policy and whether or not it violates Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools.
Civil rights attorney Jon Marko confirmed the possibility that Title IX was breached. “It’s creepy. I’d be creeped out. I’m not going to tell the Phys Ed teacher my daughter’s menstrual cycle,” he said. It remains to be seen if the school will retract the policy following the criticism.
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