ACLU protests program for male high school students in Lawrence

LAWRENCE – The American Civil Liberties Union is calling on the Lawrence school district to suspend a mentoring program for male students.

The group objects to an initiative at Free State High School known as the “LEAP Ambassador Program.” After it kicked off Thursday, the ACLU’s Kansas chapter sent a letter saying the program does “significant harm” to female students.

The letter said the ACLU has learned that all the students participating in the program are male and that all the mentors are “business men.”

ACLU attorney Doug Bonney said excluding female participants is a violation of Title IX, a federal law banning sex discrimination in education. He said the ACLU would “definitely” sue if the district doesn’t make changes.

The district did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

This story was originally published January 30, 2015 at 11:00 AM with the headline "ACLU protests program for male high school students in Lawrence."