Mom Files Lawsuit After After Son Fails To Make Varsity Soccer Team
LADUE, Mo. (CBS Local) -- The mother of a St. Louis-area high school student is suing after her son didn't make the varsity soccer team and was not allowed to play on the junior varsity team.
The student's mother said her son, a junior who already played on the junior varsity team, is good enough play again on the JV team again.
However, officials at Ladue Horton Watkins High School said if a junior does not make the varsity team, the boy cannot play again on the junior varsity team. The school says this is to allow freshmen and sophomores a chance to develop their skills and prepare to try out for varsity.
The boy's mom alleged that this practice violates both age discrimination laws and Title IX, a civil rights law attempting to guarantee equal access in public education regardless of gender, because she says the rules are different for the girls soccer team.
The woman, only identified as "Jane Doe" in court documents, is asking for a restraining order and an injunction so that her son can play on the high school JV soccer team, WTTV reported.
In courtroom testimony, it was revealed that Ladue does not have a policy keeping juniors from playing JV sports. It depends on how many kids go out for a certain sport and how many spots are on the team. The coach said this applied to both girls and boys team.
The judge was expected to decide the case on Monday.
"I think if the judge follows the law and looks at the evidence of John Doe's skills, we have a decent chance," said the Paul Maddock, the student's attorney.
