Bedford Schools Super Addresses Softball Facilities, Equity Issues
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Despite criticisms from advocates of the Fox Lane softball program, the field will remain in its current location but the playing surface and facilities will undergo improvements through money made available from last spring’s approved bond. Last week, in a letter to the program’s supporters, Bedford Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Glass addressed objections raised at the Dec. 21 Bedford Board of Education meeting concerning the quality and location of the district’s softball facilities and whether the district is adequately addressing questions regarding equity under Title IX compared to the Fox Lane baseball program.
Glass stated in the Jan. 5 letter that since last year the district has installed 15 tons of new clay to the existing surface that will enhance safety and playability. There will also be new netting on existing batting cages while new batting cages arrive. Furthermore, new dugout covers will be installed.
The district also plans to review providing water and bathroom and locker room access and has reached out to local municipalities for additional fields to hold practices for both softball and baseball.
Glass said one of the priorities of last year’s $62 million bond was improving athletic facilities, including $860,000 for the playing surface. Improvements to the bathrooms, locker rooms, new parking and field cameras will bring the total expenditure for the site to about $1.6 million.
Site visits to other schools and consultation with the district’s architect before the bond vote determined that relocation of the softball field was unnecessary, according to the letter.
“As a result of those efforts leading up to the public vote in May 2022, it was determined that the current location and a total renovation of the softball facility, with additional enhancements, was the best site selection for the future success of the program,” Glass stated.
At the Dec. 21 meeting, players and parents told the board and administration that they believed that the softball program’s facilities were subpar compared to the baseball team, and questioned whether the district was in compliance with Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education for schools that receive federal money.
The superintendent also mentioned that the district has consulted with Title IX experts who have advised district officials that rather than requiring identical support and resources to each sports male and female teams, a district is required to provide equal opportunities and funds across all sports.
In recent years, Bedford has added several girls’ sports, including ice hockey, modified and junior varsity cheerleading, diving and JV tennis, the letter noted.
Meanwhile, the district is in compliance with the planned improvements, Glass contended.
“A review by our legal counsel of the softball field scope of work scheduled for Phase 1a of the bond project, confirms the district’s commitment to compliance with its obligations under Title IX,” Glass stated. “As described above, significant care and public input was exercised in the development of this project, including due consideration of various field placements for various sports fields given site constraints.”
The Examiner reached out to two softball parents last weekend, one of whom stated that there are still flaws in the district’s approach. Parent Josh Genovese said the district has 77 acres at the Fox Lane campus and should be able to find a better location that opposing teams can find and older spectators can reach instead of having to climb up a steep hill.
Despite planned upgrades, the field will still have significant problems, Genovese maintained. He said since there have not been bids accepted, there’s still time to tweak the plans.
“Because it’s bedrock with fill, the girls are afraid to slide because they tear up their knees every time they slide,” he said. “You can only do so much with the location that isn’t quite right.”
Genovese argued that the district is spending almost as much money to make all the other improvements to the area as they are spending on the field, funds that could be used on a more suitable site on the campus.
The district has indicated that it plans to start on bond work, including the athletics facilities improvements, this summer.
Genovese complimented Glass and the district for agreeing to post the district’s Title IX coordinator’s contact information on the district website’s athletics page. That information had not been included on the site.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/