F.A.W.L. JOURNAL A Publication of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers SPRING 2007 £ Single-Sex Education . 3 £ The Fine Print. 13 INSIDE £Highlights from FAWL’s Busy Year . 5 £ Chapter News . .14 THIS £ £ ISSUE Salute to Terry Hansen. 7 Members on the Move . 16 £FAWL Annual Meeting . 8 £ 2007-2008 Slate of Offi cers. 18 £FAWL Leadership Retreat . 9 £Member Benefi ts: Free Online CLE . 21 £FAWL Lobby Days . .10 £FAWL Committee Preference Form. 23 £FAWL Chronicles . 12 £Calendar . 24 CHAPTER PRESIDENTS £BARRY WOMEN LAWYERS £MIAMI-DADE FAWL ASSOCIATION Abigail E. Cynamon . .305/349-7313 Patricia Beeber [email protected] [email protected] FLORIDA ASSOCIATION £ FOR WOMEN LAWYERS NORTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER £BROWARD COUNTY WOMEN Lisa York . .850/469-0202 P.O. BOX 15998 LAWYERS ASSOCIATION ltyork@ltfl aw.com TALLAHASSEE, FL 32317-5998 Anya Macías . .954/767-6000 850/894-0055 anya@fi niziolaw.com £NOVA LAW CENTER CHAPTER Jennifer J. Smith VISIT US ON THE WEB AT £CENTRAL FLORIDA ASSOCIATION [email protected] www.fawl.org FOR WOMEN LAWYERS Kimberly D. Webb . .407/872-7300 £PALM BEACH COUNTY FOR MEMBERSHIP AND [email protected] ASSOCIATION ADVERTISING INFORMATION. FOR WOMEN LAWYERS £CLARA GEHAN ASSOCIATION Elisha D. Roy . .561/832-5500 FOR WOMEN LAWYERS [email protected] FAWL EXECUTIVE Jennifer K. Curcio. .352/335-2393 COMMITTEE [email protected] £PINELLAS COUNTY £Wendy Loquasto. .850/425-1333 ASSOCIATION £ President wendyloquasto@fl appeal.com COLLIER COUNTY WOMENS’ FOR WOMEN LAWYERS BAR ASSOCIATION Donna Rose . .727/586-1554 £Sherri L. Johnson . .941/952-1070 Mary Beth M. Clary . .239/593-2959 fl [email protected] President-elect [email protected] [email protected] £SARASOTA FAWL £ £Becky Steele. .813/254-0925 HILLSBOROUGH ASSOCIATION Rebecca Proctor . .941/366-0115 Secretary rsteele@aclufl .org FOR WOMEN LAWYERS [email protected] Amy D. Singer . .813/223-5351 £Carolyn C. Coukos. .239/444-5300 [email protected] £SOUTH PALM BEACH Treasurer [email protected] COUNTY CHAPTER £LEE COUNTY ASSOCIATION Rochelle Kerner. .561/272-9120 £Dawn Marie Bates-Buchanan . .941/746-6151 FOR WOMEN LAWYERS [email protected] Treasurer-elect [email protected] Denise Wheeler. .239/334-7892 [email protected] £ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY £C.J. Weinman . .850/410-4011 LAW SCHOOL CHAPTER Communications / [email protected].fl .us £MANATEE COUNTY FAWL Maria Burghardt . .305/502-6809 Journal Editor Dana M. Laganella . .941/782-1235 [email protected] [email protected] £Mary Musette Stewart . .407/617-7619 £FAWL AT STETSON Membership [email protected] £MARION COUNTY FAWL Frances Birnbryer . 813/841-1555 Patricia Morgan. .352/401-6768 [email protected] £Carla A. Jones . .305/854-2233 [email protected] Public Relations [email protected] £TALLAHASSEE WOMEN LAWYERS £MIAMI LAW WOMEN C. SháRon James . .850/222-0720 £June C. McKinney . .850/414-3771 Jennifer Hochstadt [email protected] Past President [email protected] [email protected] £VOLUSIA/FLAGLER £Patricia H. Stephens . .850/894-0055 Karen A. Foxman . .386/257-1222 Executive Director [email protected] [email protected] FAWL COMMITTEES £AMICUS £EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES SECTION LIAISON £NOMINATING Susan W. Fox . .813/251-6400 Elisha D. Roy . .561/832-5500 June C. McKinney. .850/414-3771 susanfox@fl appeal.com [email protected] [email protected] £AWARDS £HISTORIAN £NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF Barbara Twine-Th omas. .813/221-4454 Dinita L. James . .813/261-7858 WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATIONS LIAISON [email protected] [email protected] Amy Furness. .305/530-0050 afurness@carltonfi elds.com £BYLAWS £JUDICIAL MONITORING Patricia L. Morgan . .352/401-6768 Evelyn L. Moya. .941/321-2990 £VIRGIL HAWKINS LIAISON [email protected] [email protected] Kalinthia R. Dillard . .561/434-7474 Stephanie L. Fackender. .941/365-7171 [email protected] £CIVICS FORUM CHAIR [email protected] Margaret E. Wood . .561/242-2072 [email protected] £LEGISLATIVE Kasongo Butler . .850/245-9455 kasongo.butler@fl doe.org ARTICLE SUBMISSION: We encourage authors to submit articles through FAWL’s Journal Editor, C.J. Weinman, at [email protected].fl .us, or contact the Association’s offi ce as referenced above. 2 Spring 2007 • FAWL JOURNAL Venus and Mars in Separate Classrooms? A Report on the Rise of Single-Sex Education in Florida and Around the Country by Emily J. Martin 1 exceptions for sex education and contact sports.5 (Because Title IX does not “Classes would be tailored govern admissions to elementary and secondary schools,6 Title IX regulations to refl ect supposed brain have never strictly prohibited single- sex schools, as opposed to classrooms, diff erences; for instance, though the Equal Protection Clause and recently represented 13-year-old other federal and state laws, discussed while girls would be taught I Michelle Selden in a successful below, limit state and local governments’ challenge to what is becoming a growing ‘good character,’ boys authority to create such schools.) trend — sex-segregated public schools. Despite the language in Title IX stating In May 2006, the principal of Michelle’s would be taught what it that no one may be excluded from any junior high school in Livingston Parish, educational program or activity on the Louisiana, announced to students means to be a man.” basis of sex, the new Title IX regulations and parents that in the fall, boys and permit coeducational schools to off er girls would be taught separately in all sex-segregated classes in a wide variety of academic classes. No one could transfer such programs. Indeed, according to the circumstances.7 In essence, the regulations from the segregated junior high school National Association for Single-Sex Public allow a school to create a single-sex to a coeducational school. According to Education, while there were only four sex- class or extracurricular activity either to the principal, the decision to separate segregated public schools in the country provide “diverse” educational options to boys and girls was based on diff erences a decade ago, today there are over 250.3 students or to address what the school between boys’ and girls’ brains. Classes has judged to be students’ particular would be tailored to refl ect these THE LEGAL BACKDROP educational needs.8 Th e regulations do supposed brain diff erences; for instance, Th is trend is only likely to accelerate make clear, however, that participation in while girls would be taught “good in the wake of the federal Department a sex-segregated class must be completely character,” boys would be taught about of Education (DOE)’s recent revision voluntary and explain that participation “heroic” behavior and what it means to be of longstanding Title IX regulations in is not completely voluntary unless a a man. Michelle Selden and her parents order to permit more sex-segregated “substantially equal” coeducational class went to court to stop the program from educational programs. Title IX is the is off ered in the same subject.9 Finally, going forward, and they succeeded.2 federal law that prohibits schools the new regulations require periodic Very few cases have ever been brought which receive federal assistance from evaluations to ensure that single-sex challenging sex segregation in public discriminating on the basis of sex. It programs are not based on overbroad elementary and secondary schools, in applies to virtually all public schools generalizations about either sex.10 large part because in recent decades, such in the United States, as well as many Th e change in Title IX regulations, segregation has been very rare. Today, private schools. Specifi cally, it states, of course, does not aff ect other laws however, more and more public schools “No person in the United States shall, that limit sex segregation in public are separating girls from boys, as school on the basis of sex, be excluded from schools. Th e Supreme Court has found districts across the country experiment participation in, be denied the benefi ts at least some single-sex programs violate with single-sex classrooms and single- of, or be subjected to discrimination the Equal Protection Clause of the sex schools. In Pinellas County, Florida, under any education program or activity Constitution, striking down both the for instance, sex-segregated classes receiving Federal fi nancial assistance.” 4 Virginia Military Institute’s all-male policy were introduced this year for second For over thirty years Title IX and Mississippi University for Women’s graders at one elementary school and regulations had interpreted this statutory all-female policy as unconstitutionally fourth graders in another. Hernando language to mean what it says. Th ese discriminatory.11 It has also warned County recently voted to create single- regulations prohibited coeducational that public schools attempting to justify sex classes in several elementary schools schools from segregating students by sex sex-segregated programs shoulder an next fall. Schools in Broward, Volusia, for classes or other activities in almost extremely heavy burden of persuasion.12 and Duval Counties have also initiated all circumstances, with very narrow In addition, a federal law called the Equal FAWL JOURNAL • Spring 2007 3 Educational Opportunities Act prohibits attempt to address a broader educational claims that girls will do better in school assigning students to single-sex schools.13 crisis. Th ese programs are often meant if they are allowed to bring blankets from