D.C. Public Schools introduce flag football as a girls’ varsity sport - The Washington Post

D.C. Public Schools introduce flag football as a girls’ varsity sport - The Washington Post: ...Girls in D.C. Public Schools now have that chance, since the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association introduced flag football as a varsity sport this spring in an effort to raise girls’ participation in sports and improve its compliance with Title IX, the law mandating gender equity at all federally funded institutions. The season began Friday, with six of the 17 DCPS high schools fielding teams. Nearly 70 girls are playing.

According to DCPS figures for the 2010-11 school year, girls made up 51 percent of the total high school enrollment (6,058 of 11,988) but only 39 percent of the athletic participants (1,060 of 2,743). To improve those participation numbers, DCPS officials surveyed high school girls last year and adopted the two most-requested sports. Flag football was the overwhelming No. 1 choice followed by bowling, which was introduced as a varsity sport this past winter. Alaska and Florida are the only states that currently offer flag football as a varsity sport.