Wausau School Board seeks legal advice on Wausau East boys’ hockey co-op impasse

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - The Wausau School Board has authorized district administrators to retain legal counsel to explore options for giving Wausau East boys an opportunity to play varsity hockey after a proposed co-op with Wausau West stalled in a conference vote.

You can watch the full school board meeting here. Remarks begin around the 14:30 mark.

Board member Pat McKee said East students previously played varsity hockey through a cooperative program with Merrill. Merrill opted out after growing its program enough to field its own team, he said, while East does not have enough players to sponsor a varsity team on its own.

A proposal to form a co-op with West failed to advance after a 3-3 Wisconsin Valley Conference vote, McKee said. East, West and D.C. Everest supported the proposal, while Stevens Point, Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids opposed it, he said.

McKee said an attempt to create a way to break conference tie votes also failed on a 3-3 vote. He said conference approval is required as part of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s process for approving varsity co-ops.

“The question is whether male East students should have a reasonable opportunity to participate in varsity hockey,” McKee said.

McKee raised questions about whether the lack of a varsity opportunity for East boys could raise concerns under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. He noted that East girls have an opportunity to play varsity hockey through the Central Wisconsin Storm co-op.

McKee said he was not asking the board to determine whether a violation had occurred, but said qualified legal counsel should review the facts.

“This isn’t about creating a stronger hockey team. It’s not about winning games,” he said. “It’s about whether students who want to represent their district as varsity athletes will be given an opportunity to do so.”

The board approved McKee’s motion by voice vote. Members said another conference vote is scheduled for Dec. 9.

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