Students Lobby At City Hall For Sports Equity
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Sports are a big part of high school life.
But one organization says African-American and Latino students don't have as much access as others.
CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas has more on how students are lobbying for sports equity.
Students from across the city spent the day at City Hall to talk about sports, but it wasn't all fun and games.
They were lobbying for a bill that would require the Department of Education to publicly share how many sports teams each school has, and explain how the teams are chosen and how much money is given to them. Councilman Antonio Reynoso is the bill's sponsor.
"What we found is over 17,000 students that are black or Latin X have no PSAL teams whatsoever," Reynoso said.
According to a separate class action lawsuit filed against the Department of Education this summer, "When their high schools do field teams, black or Latino students have fewer choices of sports," when compared to their white and more affluent counterparts.
To get a sports team principals have to submit a request to the Public Schools Athletic League. The organization has been criticized for not being transparent about why some schools get teams and others don't.
"With sports, I learned leadership, sportsmanship, accountability. It also motivated me to do more," John Bowne High School senior Yousof Abdelreheem said.
Many of the students who were pushing for a change Tuesday actually have access to sports.
"I just finished the first marking period of my senior year with a 97 average and none of this would've been possible without sports being in my school," Bowne High senior Josiah Ramesar said.
They want the same benefit for every student in the city.
For Councilman Rory Lancman, their stories were so compelling, he now supports the bill, getting students one step closer to more equity on the playing field.
CBS2 contacted the Department of Education and the PSAL, but did not hear back.
