Same-Sex Public Schools: Is it in the Best Interest of the Student?

The Washington Administration has announced a major change in federal sex-discrimination rules that would give communities more freedom to offer same-sex schools and classes. Basically, making it possible for public schools to have the same option as private schools. Is this a good idea? Or is it going to have a negative impact on the growing youth?

The Supreme Court has always sustained the right of schools to have single-sex programs under the equal protection clause of the Constitution, as long as separate programs for males and females are considerably equal. The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in early 2002, authorized districts to use funds to establish same-sex schools or classrooms. However, there has been some controversy related to this subject. In two recent challenges to single-sex schools - the court said single-sex programs were appropriate if the school demonstrates “that the classification serves an important governmental objective and that sex-based classification is substantially related to the achievement of that objective,” the department said in a notice of the rule changes to be published in the Federal Register. However, in one of the cases, the court ruled that the school had failed in its attempt to provide a comparable program.

The Bush Administration believes in this agenda one-hundred percent. They seem to regard same-sex education as a cure-all for what ails the nation’s public schools.

Now, I’ve read up on this, and supporters of same-sex education say it builds confidence and helps students concentrate on their work by removing the distractions of dating and other social pursuits. Opponents claim it would weaken Title IX, part of the 1972 Higher Education Act that requires federally funded educational institutions to treat males and females equally in the classroom and on the sports field.

Here’s what I think: