Azusa High cheerleaders and coaches press board for equal indoor practice time, cite Title IX and safety concerns

Azusa, Calif. — A group of Azusa High School cheer, stunt and competitive team members, their parents and coaches told the Azusa Unified School District board on Dec. 9 they are routinely forced to practice outdoors in cold, dark or unsafe conditions and asked for immediate access to indoor gym space and safety resources.

"We give the same dedication, the same hours, the same heart, but we are not given the same treatment," said Aliyah Torres, co-captain of Azusa High’s cheer team, during public comment. Torres explicitly cited Title IX as the federal law that requires schools receiving federal funds to provide equal opportunities and resources regardless of gender and urged the board to ensure scheduling and facility access are truly equal.

Multiple student speakers described frequent outdoor practices, limited or improvised lighting (students said they sometimes use phone flashlights), worn mats stored outdoors and insufficient access to athletic trainers, ice or AEDs until very recently. "Our mats haven't been professionally cleaned or sanitized since we received them 3 years ago," a team member said, adding that mats have sustained significant wear and in some cases insect contamination.

Coaches and parents said the teams had previously used an indoor space known as the NPR but lost access after that room was converted to a theater. "We practice in extreme, extremely cold weather…We can't see our grips; we use our phones and our flashlights," said one coach. A team parent said incidents of bee stings and limited lighting have already led to injuries and near-misses during practices.

Speakers requested several concrete actions: consistent, prioritized indoor practice time for cheer/stunt/comp equivalent to other sports; safe, permanent indoor storage and cleaning for mats and equipment; priority scheduling that recognizes these teams as legitimate athletic programs; and access to basic safety resources such as athletic trainers and AEDs.

Board members acknowledged the concerns raised and asked staff to incorporate the equity and safety issues into the facilities conversation underway at the meeting. The speakers did not receive a board vote or immediate binding commitment on facility changes during the meeting; instead, board members later discussed facility spending priorities and a process for selecting projects to advance in the coming months.

The cheer-team comments were part of a broader public-comment block that included parents and a team mom pressing the board for immediate remedies for current athletes. The board directed staff to include the projects moving forward in the upcoming board packet and to return with monthly updates on facilities and surplus property-sale progress.