Wheelchair athlete Tatyana McFadden can race alongside her county teammates, according to an agreement reached between the Howard County Public School System and Maryland Disability Law Center.
But the Atholton High School student is still barred from competing in state and out-of-the-county competitions, said her mother, Deborah McFadden.
“It wasn?t about money,” Deborah McFadden said Monday. “We didn?t sue for money; we sued for opportunity.”
The settlement, announced Monday, makes permanent decisions made in the spring when the federal courts ruled on an injunction requiring Howard to include her in heats with other student athletes.
Tatyana McFadden, who won two medals at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece, had been allowed to practice with the team, but last season she raced by herself.
Deborah McFadden said there were no hard feelings with the school system that had previously kept her daughter from racing with her teammates.
“This situation, where even a world class athlete had difficulty competing in high school because of her disability has taught us all a great deal,” Lauren Young, director of litigation for the Disability Law Center, said in a statement. The center had filed the federal suit on McFadden?s behalf.
Based on the agreement, McFadden can:
» Participate in and have access to the same number of track events as other students without disabilities
» Have access to a school athletic uniform, school letter and other recognition
» Score points for her team in a way similar to how points are earned by other students
The ability for McFadden to score points shows the school recognizes contributions of student athletes who use wheelchairs, school officials said.
“The Howard County Public School System is a leader in the state in implementing programs and has taken specific steps to ensure our programs are inclusive,” Superintendent Sydney Cousin said in a statement.
Last season, McFadden raced in separate exhibition races and wasn?t allowed in the region or state meets.
In April, she won the right in federal court to compete in mixed heats alongside other runners in Howard. Officials unsuccessfully argued her inclusion would alter the competition and posed a safety threat to other runners.
Examiner Staff Writer Ron Cassie contributed to this report.
