Roderick Jackson
Roderick Jackson is a teacher and the girl's basketball and soccer coach at Jackson-Olin High School.
From 1999 to 2001 Jackson coached girl's basketball at Ensley Magnet High School. While there he tried and failed to get the school and the Birmingham Board of Education to give his team access to the same equipment, transportation, and funding enjoyed by the boy's teams.
He was fired from his coaching job on May 1, 2001. He sued under Title IX, 1972 federal legislation that requires non-discrimination in publicly funded education programs. Lower courts upheld the firing but the United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, faulted their decisions and called for new hearings on the merits of the case, opening the way for Jackson's suit to proceed.
The board settled the dispute with Jackson in November 2006, paying nearly $400,000 in damages and legal fees, agreeing to comply with Title IX requirements system-wide, and reporting its progress to a court-appointed monitor.
Jackson was later hired to coach the girl's soccer team at Jackson-Olin High School.
References
- "Basketball coach files suit and scores" (November 29, 2006) CNN.com
- Gordon, Robert K. (January 21, 2009) "Federal judge grants former Jackson-Olin coach's request to extend supervision over the Birmingham Board of Education." Birmingham News
- Solomon, Jon (February 14, 2009) "Title IX whistleblower says he's back coaching in Birmingham, Alabama." Birmingham News
External links
- Jackson V. Birmingham Board of Education case information at Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute