A New York high school has suspended members of its track team after the girls campaigned to only be able to train in a sports bra due to hot weather instead of a traditional running vest.
Members of the girls’ track and field team at Albany High School in New York were suspended after launching a petition calling out “gender-biased dress codes.”
While school officials insist the suspensions were not related to their activism — instead pointing to alleged “vulgar language” used at a school event — the female athletes insist otherwise.
The ordeal began last week when Albany’s athletic director, Ashley Chapple, asked several members of the Falcons to leave practice for wearing sports bras instead of shirts. They complied but the following day one sprinter launched an online petition — “Stop Gender Biased Dress Codes: Allow the Girls Track Team to wear Sports Bras.”
“Wednesday, she confronted us about wearing sports bras and saying we couldn’t (just) wear sports bras because we have male coaches,” Sophomore track star Jordan Johnson said. “She said that before and she said us working out is a distraction. We have to cover up because male coaches are around.”
So far, thousands of people have signed the online petition. Here’s what Johnson wrote in the petition:
“The athletic administration staff is attempting to exclude us from our sport as a result of the misinterpretation of the dress code. We’re being punished for practicing in sports bras in the presence of male coaches, while the boys’ team was asked nicely to put shirts back on and was not punished.”
Following practice, 13 track and field athletes attempted to attend a lacrosse game at the school. Chapple and three security guards reportedly met the girls and denied the athletes entry to the game. Chapple alleges that the 13 athletes cursed at her, though the girls deny cursing but admit to raising their voices at the administrator.
On Friday, the 13 girls received suspensions from the school, according to the Times Union. A letter authored by Chapple was reportedly hand-delivered to the girls’ homes. In the last paragraph of the letter sent home, Chapple alleged that each girl “poses a continuing danger to persons or property or an ongoing threat of disruption to the academic and athletic process,” according to the outlet.
However, according to AWM, the girls claimed they did nothing wrong.
“We were loud, but we did not swear,” student-athlete Alexis Arango said.
“No one was cursing. We were loud because we were outside.” Johnson agreed.
Nevertheless, Albany school district’s superintendent, Kaweeda G. Adams, backed up Chapple, saying that the suspensions were a result of “inappropriate and disrespectful behavior directed toward an administrator.”
She added: “Their suspension was in no way related to wardrobe. It was entirely related to their inappropriate conduct and in alignment with our Student Code of Conduct. We addressed the matter related to practice attire with male and female members of the Albany High track and field teams last week. The information communicated to both groups of student-athletes was the same – that their practice attire did not align with our Student Code of Conduct.”
Despite the reason for their suspension, athlete Kayla Huba believes they were really suspended because of the petition.
“‘I think it is because we tried to stand up for ourselves,” she said. “(Chapple) just wants to be in the right. She doesn’t want to hear what we have to say.”
Sources: AWM, Times Union
dan