St. Clair Shores parents push back against Lakeview High's controversial gym class policy for female students
Parents at Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores are outraged by a policy requiring female students to share personal health information. The rule appears in a gym class syllabus and requires female students to disclose their menstrual cycle lengths to make up for swim days.
Andy Amsdill's daughter came home from school a few weeks ago with this syllabus from her ninth-grade gym class that reads, "A written note from a parent stating the length of their daughter's menstrual cycle is required - if the student misses swim days because of their period - in order for those missed days to be made up."
"That is nobody's business but hers, her doctors, and whoever she feels like sharing that with, but it's definitely not the schools, the administrations, or anyone else's," Amsdill told CBS News Detroit.
Uncomfortable with that syllabus, Amsdill says he reached out to the principal and superintendent, questioning why students are being asked to disclose something so personal. He says the school assured him his daughter wouldn't have to do that, but he is still not satisfied.
"It's not just about my daughter, it's about every other girl in that school who is going to have to go through that," said Amsdill.
Inspired by his outreach, many parents, Bryan Shishakly, have reached out to Amsdill, saying they're glad he's spoken out. Shishakly's daughter is a sophomore at Lakeview and says she had to deal with the consequences of that controversial syllabus last year.
"My response was like, 'If they ask, you have no obligation to tell them,' and it did affect her grade. She's a straight-A student, and she ended up with a C in gym, and I don't know how fair that is since it's only going to apply to the girls at the school," said Shishakly.
Shishakly says he feels guilty for not speaking up last year, and he hopes the school he once attended and is proud to send his daughter to can make a simple change.
"She had the same freshman gym class last year, same policy, and was frustrated with it then. I was frustrated, but yeah, Andy (Amsdill) had the guts to stand up to the board and try and really make a change," he said.
Amsdill is now considering finding a lawyer about potential Title IX concerns. We heard from attorney Jon Marko, who says every parent who is unsettled by this is completely valid.
"It's creepy, I'd be creeped out. I'm not going to tell the Phys Ed teacher my daughter's menstrual cycle. I mean, as a parent, I'm obviously concerned, but as a lawyer and a civil rights lawyer, I think it's concerning as well. It could potentially violate Title IX," said Marko.
The school sent a statement on Tuesday, saying in part, "We recently became aware of a parent's concern relative to certain class expectations. Given our commitment to partnering with parents to address any issue that might arise, we immediately sought to schedule a meeting with the parent to engage in a conversation about the concern."
Amsdill says his meeting with the superintendent at Lakeview High School is planned for 7:15 a.m. on Friday.
