Education - Interscholastic and Intramural Junior Varsity and Varsity Teams and Sports - Designation (Fairness in Girls' Sports Act)

SB 588, the "Fairness in Girls' Sports Act," requires Maryland public and certain nonpublic high schools to explicitly designate interscholastic and intramural junior varsity and varsity athletic teams as "boys'/male/men's," "girls'/female/women's," or "coed." It prohibits male students from participating on teams designated for females and prevents governmental entities or athletic associations from penalizing schools for maintaining separate teams for students of the female sex. The bill also allows students who lose athletic opportunities due to violations to file civil lawsuits against their schools, and protects students from retaliation for reporting violations. This law directly affects high schools in Maryland that sponsor competitive sports teams and applies to all such teams designated for females.