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Simpson Thacher, in partnership with the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center and California Women’s Law Center, has helped bring about major changes under Title IX for high school girls in Ventura County, California. In May 2015, the Firm, LAS-ELC and CWLC sent a demand letter on behalf of female athletes to Santa Paula High School alleging numerous Title IX violations with respect to athletic participation opportunities, treatment and benefits for girls. More specifically, the demand letter alleged athletic gender inequities in Santa Paula’s PE and interscholastic athletic programs, including older gyms and locker rooms used for girls, fewer female participants involved in sports, and other gender inequities in the softball facilities, transportation to practices and games and coaches and training. Santa Paula immediately started to explore how to bring its facilities and programs into compliance with Title IX and adopted a resolution reflecting its commitment to gender equity and Tile IX Compliance. After numerous negotiations, Santa Paula has already improved and is maintaining equitable athletic facilities for girls and boys; offering additional girls’ athletic teams; increasing outreach to girls to participate in sports; and providing additional Title IX training to its coaches and administrators, among other things. This is a model resolution involving cooperative efforts by both sides to timely, comprehensively, efficiently and effectively bring positive changes to the girls at Santa Paula High School.

The Simpson Thacher team included Buzz Frahn, Jayma Meyer, Michael Freedman, Lee Brand and Adam Pullano.