KENILWORTH — A seventh grade girl whose family sued after her school wouldn’t allow her to play for its boys basketball team has been kicked out of school, the girl’s father told reporters Wednesday night.
Sydney Phillips (front) and her sister, Kaitlyn, are not allowed back at school, their father said. The girls were invited to practice basketball with members of the New York Liberty WNBA team Wednesday night. (Courtesy NY Liberty)
Twelve-year-old Sydney Phillips was a student at St. Theresa’s School in Kenilworth. The girl’s father, Scott Phillips, said he received an email from his attorney containing a forwarded message from the Archdiocese of Newark’s lawyer Wednesday night. The email, which referenced a letter the Superintendent of Schools delivered to the family’s home, said neither Sydney nor her younger sister, Kaitlyn, “should be coming to St. Theresa’s School tomorrow morning or any day thereafter.”
Though Phillips said he had not yet been home Wednesday and had not seen the delivered letter from the superintendent of the Catholic school, he was “just in total shock” over the email.
“I am so upset right now, and just plain disgusted,” Phillips said of receiving news that as of Thursday morning, his daughters would be out of school.
Family takes another shot to get girl on team
The Phillips’ disagreement with the school started last year, when the family says it was told that the school would not be having a girls’ basketball team this year. When Sydney – who had been a star player on the girls’ team the year before – was told she couldn’t play for the boys team, her family sued for her right to play.
A superior court judge in January sided with the school, a decision the family is appealing.
Jim Goodness, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark, declined to comment on the matter Wednesday night, saying he could not speak on “individual student matters.”
Though the email did not detail why Sydney and Kaitlyn, a fifth grader, were not welcome back at the school, the Phillips family speculated their removal stems from the ongoing legal battle. Before the basketball dispute, Scott Phillips said his family had a long history with the school and St. Theresa’s church. He and his wife were married in the church, all three of their children were baptized in the church, and their son, Brian, graduated from St. Theresa’s last year.
“They did nothing wrong,” Phillips said of his daughters. “And, this is the church? This is the archdiocese? They should be ashamed of themselves.”
Phillips said Wednesday he was unsure if the family will fight to have their daughters allowed back into school.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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