Reese

Plaintiffs, four female former high school students, appeal the summary judgment in favor of the school district and several named school district officials in an action for damages under Title IX and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 . We affirm the judgment because: (1) the school district did not *738 subject the plaintiffs to harassment by acting with deliberate indifference to harassment of which it had actual knowledge; and (2) the record does not support the claim that the school district punished the plaintiffs with discriminatory intent in violation of their right to equal protection of the law.

BACKGROUND

On Tuesday, May 27, 1997, four days after the last day of classes for seniors, Jefferson High School sponsored “senior skip day” and transported members of the senior class to a local state park. While at the park, the plaintiffs hid in the stalls of the boys’ bathroom. When a group of senior boys came into the bathroom to change clothes, the plaintiffs ran out of the stalls and allegedly threw water balloons at the boys.

Prior to skip day, school authorities had warned that students who behaved inappropriately on the trip would jeopardize their participation in commencement…