MILFORD – Sports programs at the middle and high schools comply with federal rules requiring equal opportunities for boys and girls, according to a Milford School District self-

audit.

A memo to the School Board from Superintendent Robert Marquis shows the athletic participation rate of females is in good proportion to the enrollment percentages.

In the middle school, 47 percent of girls take part in one or more sports, with girls making up 50 percent of the schools’ population, according to the self-audit.

In the high school, where 47.5 percent of the population is female, 44 percent of the girls participate in sports. Those percentages are within the acceptable limits, according to the report.

“We are well within Title IX compliance,” Marquis told the board at its meeting on Monday, May 15.

The issue of equal opportunity came up last month when parents and students went before the board to ask for a varsity lacrosse program.

Although it isn’t a requirement of the self-audit, school administrators also collected data comparing the athletic offerings for boys and girls.

At the middle school, there are more offerings available to girls than boys. At the high school, there is an equal number – 13 for each. Before the inclusion of girls lacrosse, there were 12 offerings for girls.

But in the junior varsity category, there are two additional offerings for boys: freshman and junior varsity football.

Ten sports are available to girls at the middle school, compared with seven for boys.

The data was compiled by high school athletic director Marc Maura, middle school athletic director Don Gutterson and other school staff.

Title IX is part of the United States Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits educational programs that are getting federal financial help from discriminating on the basis of gender.

Kathy Cleveland can be reached at 673-3100 or kcleveland@cabinet.com.