Obama Admin: Sports are a civil right

[green73]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Breaking new ground, the U.S. Education Department is telling schools they must include students with disabilities in sports programs or provide equal alternative options. The directive, reminiscent of the Title IX expansion of athletic opportunities for women, could bring sweeping changes to school budgets and locker rooms for years to come.

Schools would be required to make "reasonable modifications" for students with disabilities or create parallel athletic programs that have comparable standing as mainstream programs.

"Sports can provide invaluable lessons in discipline, selflessness, passion and courage, and this guidance will help schools ensure that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to benefit from the life lessons they can learn on the playing field or on the court," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement announcing the new guidance on Friday.

Federal laws, including the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, require states to provide a free public education to all students and bans schools that receive federal funds from discriminating against students with disabilities. Going further, the new directive from the Education Department's civil rights division explicitly tells schools and colleges that access to interscholastic, intramural and intercollegiate athletics is a right.

cont
http://news.yahoo.com/sports-civil-d...-politics.html

[Confederate]

Wheelchair rugby!

[green73]

I wonder how much it will cost to install special showers in every school.

[Lucille]

Schools would be required to make "reasonable modifications" for students with disabilities or create parallel athletic programs that have comparable standing as mainstream programs.

How much more money is this gonna cost us now?

Going further, the new directive from the Education Department's civil rights division explicitly tells schools and colleges that access to interscholastic, intramural and intercollegiate athletics is a right.

LOL...

[kathy88]

Divide and conquer. Check.

[Cowlesy]

Give the Obama Administration credit, their gradualism at chipping away bit by bit makes it hard for the lay-person to argue.

What, you don't like disabled people?? Bigot.

/sarc

Ah, those immutable, universal "rights." I am sure they won't infringe on anyone else's "rights"...

[phill4paul]

[cajuncocoa]

What about those of us who were simply "athletically challenged" in high school? Will we still be regulated to playing clarinet in the marching band, or will we be guaranteed a spot on the football roster?

[heavenlyboy34]

What about those of us who were simply "athletically challenged" in high school? Will we still be regulated to playing clarinet in the marching band, or will we be guaranteed a spot on the football roster?

What's wrong with clarinet? /plays clarinet

[Confederate]

What's wrong with clarinet? /plays clarinet

This is a clarinet:



You put your mouth on something else.

[green73]

What about people who are only good at playing the skin flute?

[paulbot24]

Get em used to wearing kneepads right from the start. No legs? The government will make reasonable modifications just for you so you can still be a part of the "team." Yay!

[Lucille]

I can't stop chuckling about this. It's all just so absurd! The Ruling Class has systematically destroyed our natural rights, and then goes about making up ridiculous new ones!

Sports: a right
Due process: not a right

Medical care: a right
Protection from unreasonable search and seizure: not a right

Abortion: a right
Prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment: not a right

[Nirvikalpa]

This is a clarinet:



You put your mouth on something else.

Your future wife is going to be very disappointed.

---------

I don't understand this - there are great non-profit groups already in place that offer students with disabilities an outlet to play sports, engage in team-building, etc etc. This seems like a plan that'll backfire quite quickly... because kids are $#@!s.

[paulbot24]

Will this be applying to programs like cheerleading as well? If so, this could lead to some seriously bizarre accidents.

[Philhelm]

What about people who are only good at playing the skin flute?

If they're pretty enough, send them my way.

[dannno]

I can't stop chuckling about this. It's all just so absurd! The Ruling Class has systematically destroyed our natural rights, and then goes about making up ridiculous new ones!

Sports: a right
Due process: not a right

Medical care: a right
Protection from unreasonable search and seizure: not a right

Abortion: a right
Prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment: not a right

Somebody needs to put this in front of Obama's face and ask for clarification.

[ronpaulfollower999]

I can't stop chuckling about this. It's all just so absurd! The Ruling Class has systematically destroyed our natural rights, and then goes about making up ridiculous new ones!

Sports: a right
Due process: not a right

Medical care: a right
Protection from unreasonable search and seizure: not a right

Abortion: a right
Prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment: not a right

Makes sense to me.

[ronpaulfollower999]

Will this be applying to programs like cheerleading as well? If so, this could lead to some seriously bizarre accidents.

It's okay. Like yoga, fat girls don't do cheerleading.

[green73]

It's okay. Like yoga, fat girls don't do cheerleading.

Oh rly?
[IMG]

[ronpaulfollower999]

Down south, they call that curvy, not fat.

[Confederate]

Down south, they call that curvy, not fat.

Just how we like them.

[tangent4ronpaul]

This is easily rectified. Just put the "special" class on the golf course in front of sir-golfs-alot and he will be changing his tune instantly...

-t

[cajuncocoa]

What's wrong with clarinet? /plays clarinet

Nothing! My son played clarinet in the H.S. band....he would have made a terrible football player though.

[tangent4ronpaul]

Down south, they call that curvy, not fat.

Up here in the north, we give things like that as wide a berth as a wall full of VMS manuals during an earthquake...

-t

[Confederate]

It's okay. Like yoga, fat girls don't do cheerleading.

Fat girls do yoga, it's just not very nice to see.

[paulbot24]

Mr. Obama, please don't apply this "now everybody can be an astronaut" idea to our space program. It will lead to a surge in employment opportunities in Houston, at least in the short-term.

[jmdrake]

I can't stop chuckling about this. It's all just so absurd! The Ruling Class has systematically destroyed our natural rights, and then goes about making up ridiculous new ones!

Sports: a right
Due process: not a right

Medical care: a right
Protection from unreasonable search and seizure: not a right

Abortion: a right
Prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment: not a right

Thread winner!

[jmdrake]

What about those of us who were simply "athletically challenged" in high school? Will we still be regulated to playing clarinet in the marching band, or will we be guaranteed a spot on the football roster?

Not good enough. You have to go disable yourself to fit the special category. So if you want to play football and you such at it, cut off your pinky toe or something.

[Confederate]

Thread winner!

We're all winners. Quit being so insensitive.