ACLU: School District Under Fire For Body-Shaming Cheerleaders
KENOSHA, WI — A Wisconsin school district is under fire from the American Civil Liberties Union after reports have surfaced that the Tremper High School cheerleaders were subjected to an award presentation that involved”gender discrimination, sexual harassment, body shaming and victim blaming.”
According to the ACLU, the Tremper High School cheer leading squad participated in their annual awards banquet in March 2018 led by the squad’s coaching staff.
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During one particular segment of the ceremony before an audience of more than 150 people, the ACLU says that “Tremper Cheer coaches distributed the Big Boobie, Big Booty, and String Bean awards to three cheerleaders. A parent reported that the coaches ‘laughed hysterically’ when handing the Big Boobie award to its recipient and made comments on the microphone about ‘what a feat’ it was that this student could maneuver through cheer routines with her ‘enormous boobs.'”
According to the report, the ACLU received video footage of the coaches handing the “Big Booty” award to a student. When they did, the coaches proclaimed in front of the crowd, “We love her butt. Everybody loves her butt,” the ACLU reported.
Official documents obtained by the ACLU stated that at prior awards ceremonies, “coaches made comments about girls’ vaginas. In addition to these awards, parents have reported that the Tremper Cheer coaches have regularly engaged in harassing language towards the cheerleaders during practices. Students have left practice in tears, have felt shame about their bodies, and have quit the squad due to comments made by coaches.”
The ACLU sent a letter to district officials on Tuesday, saying they have “serious concerns that the Kenosha Unified School District is enabling sexual harassment in its schools in violation of Title IX, Wisconsin’s Pupil Nondiscrimination Law, and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.”
The ACLU is calling for the district to set up anti-harassment training for all employees, author written guidelines banning school officials from commenting on students’ physical appearance, and also implementing a new sex education curriculum that emphasizes healthy relationships.
The ACLU says Kenosha School District officials, including Tremper Principal Steven Knecht, fielded reports from concerned parents and staff members following the 2018 banquet, but ultimately did not resolve the issue.
According to the ACLU, Knecht received complaints about the awards show. One comment read, “I feel that I need to tell you this for the protection of these girls … I don’t think it takes much to see that this is extremely degrading to women.”
The ACLU reported that Knecht told Tremper Cheer coaches he would be launching an investigation into the matter. Yet after the investigation was over, he found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the coaches. He told one concerned parent that the awards “were meant to be funny,” and that the coaches “were just joking around,” according to the ACLU report.
The ACLU says they obtained records revealing that a Kenosha School District Human Resources official met with the lead cheer coach in May to discuss the incident at the cheer banquet. “In a letter dated May 11, 2018, she directed the coach to write apology letters to each student who received a ‘gag award.’ She also directed the coach to submit her resignation by June 14.” According to these records, the cheer coach did not resign, and Knecht welcomed her back as a co-coach for the next school year.
According to the ACLU, officials in Kenosha have been given a March 1 deadline to respond to the organization’s claims.
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