SAN DIEGO – Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) urged U.S. Senators to vote to restore important provisions in Title IX, the legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in education, including athletics.

Earlier this year, the Department of Education issued a new Title IX policy, which allows schools to make determinations of interest in a sport by women and girls based on an e-mail survey. A bi-partisan amendment was introduced by two U.S. Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Patty Murray (D-WA) would reverse this change. The amendment is set for consideration by the Senate today.

“The opportunities for women and girls to participate in sports should not rest on a single survey,” Saldaña said. “The result of allowing these e-mail surveys will have a significant impact on the athletic, educational and scholarship opportunities for women and girls.”

Before the department’s change in policy, schools were required to make serious efforts to gauge interest in sports by women and girls, including consulting with coaches and students and surveying women's sports offered by high schools or other colleges in the region. Schools also had to examine whether their lack of recruitment effort dampened real interest in sports opportunities by potential female athletes.

Critics of the changes were especially galled that they were made without warning and without public input. They cite the low response rate of e-mail surveys to question the validity of their use to make important education policy decisions.

Saldaña, a former athletic instructor, introduced an Assembly Resolution earlier this year commending the successes of Title IX and criticizing the Department of Education’s policy changes.

“My legislative colleagues and I wanted to send a clear message that California supports the advances for women provided by Title IX,” she said.

Title IX, which amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Nixon in 1973. The amendments were aimed at remedying inequities in educational opportunities for women and girls.

Assembly Member Saldaña represents the 76th Assembly District.