New Department of Education data shows that racial disparities in access to high school sports persist, the New York Daily News reported.  The data released was mandated by a NYLPI-backed bill passed last year.

The median number of teams available to a black or Hispanic high-schooler last year was 15, while the median for a white student was 24, and 26 for an Asian student, according to a Daily News analysis of data released in response to a City Council law mandating more information on sports teams.

In 2018, NYLPI sued the school system in a class action on behalf of students denied fair opportunities to sports.  The Daily News quoted NYLPI Senior Attorney Melissa Iachan, lead attorney on the case:

“The disparities we indicated in our complaint still persist and exist,” Melissa Iachan, one of the lawyers involved in the class action suit, said of the new data.

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“Participation reflects students who are playing at least one PSAL sport – that could be sport of their choice or it could be the only choice available to them,” Iachan said.

“Access means having a higher number of sports, and hopefully because there’s a higher number, they get the sport of their choice,” she added.

A link to the full article is below.

NYC kids’ sports access disparities persist, new Education Dept. data shows