More than 27 years later, gender equity still is not the standard in most Georgia high schools. Not even close. The association in charge of high school athletics in Georgia says that ensuring a fair distribution of resources to boys and girls sports is not and should not be its responsibility. In a survey, the association's executive committee said policing gender-equity issues isn't the responsibility of the state, and the association has lobbied aggressively to prevent passage of a state Title IX law. State officials say that with no state law, they have no authority to act.
Federal authorities say that if there is no local enforcement, they rely on parents.
They suggest that parents who cannot get help locally contact the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. An analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed that girls' participation rates in high school sports have grown significantly in recent years. But it suggests a majority of Georgia's public high schools today still would not pass muster if they faced a federal gender-equity challenge. In Georgia high schools, girls slightly outnumber the boys. Girls sports get 5 percent.