West Lauderdale High School. 

A federal lawsuit filed by parents of two West Lauderdale students alleging the Lauderdale County School District is in violation of Title IX is scheduled to go to trial in September of next year, according to court papers. 

Jeremy and Stacy Shields of Collinsville allege in the lawsuit their daughters are being unfairly discriminated against as female athletes, claiming that, as softball players, they are not given access to the same funding, equipment, scholarship opportunities and travel expenses and/or per diem allowances as their male counterparts.

In the lawsuit, which represents one side of the case, the Shields claim their older daughter, who has since graduated from West Lauderdale, was required to purchase essential athletic equipment and supplies as a softball player and that she didn’t have access to the school district’s athletic bus while West Lauderdale’s baseball team does.

They also claim the softball facilities are inferior to their baseball and football counterparts in a number of ways, including lighting and press box construction.

The lawsuit is seeking monetary compensation for the Shields family as well as what it believes would constitute full Title IX compliance — equal access to the same quality athletic experience for both male and female athletes.

Title IX is a federal law adopted in 1972 as part of Congress’ Educational Amendments that states, “No person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, be treated differently from another person or otherwise be discriminated against in any interscholastic, intercollegiate, club or intramural athletics offered by a recipient.”

Lauderdale County School District Superintendent Randy Hodges confirmed he’s aware of the lawsuit but referred questions to the district’s legal counsel for further information on the district’s response. Witherspoon and Compton LLC, which represents the district, did not respond to repeated attempts for comment.

Sam Schiller, a Title IX attorney out of Cookeville, Tennessee, is the lead attorney representing the Shields in the case. He said the issue mainly boils down to funding, which is the case in most Title IX lawsuits.

“When you’re talking about treatment and benefits, you’re wondering what money is provided to boys programs as well as the girls’,” Schiller said.

The school district might try to argue the programs do have equal access to funding from the district and that any perceived advantages in regard to the boys’ facilities and equipment are a result of those programs being supplemented by private funds. The lawsuit argues, however, the “end results” are subject to Title IX regardless of the source of the funding, as long as the school district receives federal funding.

“Regardless of what you argue, Title IX itself requires the school district provide equal treatment and benefits regardless of the source of money,” Schiller said. “Whether it’s coming from private sources or tax dollars, under Title IX, it’s irrelevant. I can tell you quite often that argument is initially made, but it’s contrary to the law.”

Schiller said the Shields are simply two parents who want what’s best for their children, and they hope the lawsuit can bring about a fair resolution.

“I don’t think it’s a particularly novel concept that we would treat our sons as we would our daughters,” Schiller said. “I think that’s a pretty basic idea.”