Opinion ID: 4556132
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Denial of Educational Benefits

Text: To state a claim for relief under Title IX, the plaintiff must allege that she was “effectively denied equal access to an institution’s resources and opportunities.” Davis, 526 U.S. at 651. Even though the district court did not rule on this issue, DPS argues that the court’s judgment can be affirmed on the alternative ground that Ms. Doe’s complaint fails to adequately allege denial of such access. We disagree. The District relies on the Seventh Circuit’s decision in Gabrielle M. v. Park Forest Chicago Heights, Illinois School District, 315 F.3d 817, 823 (7th Cir. 2003), which upheld the denial of relief when “there [was] no evidence that [the plaintiff] was denied access to an education” since “she was diagnosed with some psychological problems, [but] the record shows that her grades remained steady and her absenteeism from school did not increase.” But that is not our case. The complaint alleges that the harassment became so intolerable that Ms. Doe could not attend classes at the school. She worked at home, coming to school only to perform assignments before regular classes began and after classes had ended. We are somewhat surprised that the District so devalues classroom instruction and experience that it argues that their denial is not a denial of access to education. Yes, Ms. Doe maintained a 4.0 average. Apparently, she is quite bright. Does that mean that she would have derived no benefit from the instruction provided by her teachers? And there is certainly a body of thought that the socialization from attending school with peers is an important, perhaps essential, advantage of the school experience. The District’s argument on this issue is unpersuasive. See Jennings v. Univ. of N.C., 482 F.3d 686, 699–700 (4th Cir. 2007) (en banc) (plaintiff student may 19 have been deprived of access to educational opportunities or benefits even though her grades slightly improved); but see id. at 717–19 (Niemeyer, J., dissenting).