Is Putting Boys and Girls in Separate Classrooms Legal?
Hundreds of public schools are segregating kids by sex, citing discredited research on learning differences.
At the Van Devender middle school in Wood County, West Virginia, girls and boys learn in separate classrooms. The girls' rooms are lit with dimmer light than those of the boys. They are also kept at warmer temperatures. Girls must sit still, at shared desks. Boys get individual desks and are allowed to move around, sit on beanbag chairs, even lie on the floor. If girls fidget, they're sent to the boys' classroom—where they can't participate in the lessons, and must instead sit facing the wall. The school motto: "Van Devender Middle School: Where Gender Matters."
The school claims that its sex-segregated classrooms are a scientifically proven way to boost academic performance. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, not only are they not scientific, they're illegal. Last week,the organization filed a federal suit (PDF) against the Van Devender school, alleging that its single-sex classrooms violate Title IX, as well as the 14thAmendment's equal protection clause. (Not to mention that they diminish the quality of students' education.)
The case is led by ACLU cooperating attorney Amy Katz, who's got her own spin on the school's motto. "[Kids] are getting the message that the single most important thing in this place is whether you're a boy or a girl," she says. "I like to say, 'Van Devender: Where Gender Matters, more than anything else.'" At a court hearing yesterday, the ACLU's request for a restraining order to prevent the school from splitting sexes when classes start this Thursday was denied—so Van Devender will enter the school year with its single-sex program intact. (The program can still get cut off down the line; the ACLU has another hearing on the case next week.)
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Lots more at the link.
= new reply since forum marked as read
that there's some research out there that supports segregating genders; I'm skeptical and have not yet checked it out for myself. IIR, it has something to do with girls feeling academically safer without boys, especially in math. 
Hence my skepticism. I might not be remembering correctly, though. If it were likely to happen in my district or region or state, it would probably be higher on my priority list. As a middle school teacher
Regardless of what that research might say, ANY type of structure, format, philosophy, or methodology can be used well or misused or abused.
Based on your link, it sounds like this particular school is abusing the concept, as well as displaying blatant ignorance and/or bigotry concerning gender expectations. I think the ACLU has a good case.
