A letter from Lake Washington High School Principal Christina Thomas reveals that one of the main rationales behind removing the Kangs baseball team from Lee Johnson Field was to make things more fair for the girls softball team and address possible federal Title IX violations.
The letter, sent out Wednesday to baseball players and parents, states that concerns had been raised about the inequity between boys baseball and girls softball by allowing the baseball team to play at Lee Johnson in downtown, while the softball games have been held at Crestwoods Park next to Kirkland Middle School. The softball team will play its first game ever at the high school in April.
The initial decision to move the baseball team’s games back to the high school was announced two weeks ago by the athletic department in an email and drew outrage from baseball players, parents, alumni, as well as the Lake Washington School District Board and Kirkland community members. Chief among their protests was that it would destroy a decades old tradition that allowed not only the Kangs but other teams to play night games under the lights.
The intensely negative reaction, Thomas said, came as a surprise to her and other school administrators.
“We are very proud of our new field here at the school, and we anticipated that our players and community would be excited to play their games at their own home field at our school, where other students may be more likely to attend,” she wrote. “In recent days we have learned that playing varsity games at Lee Johnson Field in Peter Kirk Park is very meaningful to students.”
Thomas later writes that she is putting off a final decision for the time being. Meanwhile, she announced the Kangs baseball team will play five of its home games this spring at Lee Johnson Field, which is more than originally planned, and play four games at the high school.
Yet, the perceived inequality between baseball and softball has to be addressed.
“While this equity law [Title IX] covers the entire high school athletic program, it does look at whether male and female athletes have equitable opportunities to the same kinds of athletic experiences,” she wrote. “If male athletes, like baseball players, are able to play in a big game atmosphere during prime time in a top flight facility and female athletes don’t have the same opportunities, then the law may be violated.”
Thomas added that they also aren’t able to control what goes on at games, since they at held at a city-owned park.
“Unfortunately, we have had a number of past issues occur during games at Peter Kirk that detract from the player’s positive experiences and make supervision a challenge.”
Costs were not a factor in the decision, Thomas continued.
After the backlash by the baseball community, the school district said it would be examining the impending decision. Although Thomas’s letter doesn’t specifically refer to Title IX, spokesperson Kathryn Reith said they will be looking into not just baseball and softball but all sports in the district to find out if there is a possible violation of the law, which prohibits gender discrimination in education programs or activity at schools that receive federal funding. If there is not, she said, then it will be left to the school to decide the baseball team’s fate.
“You have to look at the competitive opportunities for boys versus girls,” she said. “So it has to be an overall program review. Do they have a similar proportion of boys playing in a big game atmosphere at a prime time at a great facility as the girls? If half the boys are playing but only a quarter of the girls are, then you have an inequality. That’s the kind of thing we have to look at.”
Eric Jensen, whose son plays on the varsity baseball team, criticized Thomas’ letter in an email, saying it “reflects an unwillingness to listen to the baseball and greater Kirkland community.”
Jensen added that the new high school fields lack certain improvements to host varsity baseball games, including adequate seating and a scoreboard.
“The greater Kirkland community has spoken in support of this issue in large numbers and it has done so clearly and concisely,” he wrote further. “This is plainly represented in email letters to the school and District, the presentation of public comments and high attendance at last week’s District School Board meeting, and the creation of a petition which has now generated over 1,100 electronic signature and comments of support…in light of all of these facts that have been presented, I ask clearly: why does the school administration take such an intransigent position?”
