High School Runner Alleges Dress Code Discrimination Against School

In Houston, a Spring Woods High School student spoke out against her cross-country and track team’s dress code practices, which she claims are discriminatory.

While practicing on a 100-degree day, the junior “G.H.” (who has remained anonymous to avoid backlash) opted to run in her sports bra to be more comfortable. “I saw a couple of the guys running without their shirts on—on campus and off campus—and they weren't being told anything. So, I took off my shirt, obviously, and I got in trouble for it," G.H. told KHOU 11, a local news station in Houston.

The runner, who was the only Black student-athlete on the girls’ team, was punished by the school. When she voiced her concerns that the dress code was being upheld in a discriminatory way that held the girls’ teams to a much higher standard than the boys’ teams, the Spring Branch administration responded by mistreating her and withhelding accolades she’d earned in a competitive season, according to American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).