We’ve all heard the stereotypes about boys and girls. One would hope that our education system would be working to eradicate those ideas, not reinforce them, but sadly that isn’t always the case. Thankfully, the Constitution demands better of our public schools. So today, we are demanding that the Sanford School District halt its single-sex programs and cease the practice of separating boys and girls into different classes.
Similar demand letters were sent by the ACLU to school districts in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and West Virginia today, all as part of our new “Teach Kids, Not Stereotypes” campaign. Federal law and the Constitution require equal educational opportunities for all students, male or female. Bunk science and outdated stereotypes don’t negate that guarantee.
Our investigation revealed that programs in Sanford are based on disputed theories suggesting boys and girls learn so differently that they need to be educated separately. As a result of these stereotypes, boys spend time exercising and participating in a football program while girls drink hot chocolate and discuss world news. If such programs are not ended, the ACLU will consider pursuing further legal action, including filing lawsuits and administrative complaints with state and federal agencies.
Elsewhere in the country, the ACLU has found even more egregious cases surrounding single-sex classrooms – and lots of bogus “science” that claims to back up the segregation that ensues. Examples of the absurd stereotypes include: girls have shorter attention spans than boys, but don’t deal as well with bright lights; girls need to be coddled and spoken to with soft voices, while boys are less distracted by loud noises and respond better to shouting and stricter discipline; and boys who like to read and do not enjoy contact sports should be required to spend more time with “normal males.”
We know that discredited gender stereotypes still exist. But we also know the Constitution -- and the Constitution doesn't deal in stereotypes.
