Birmingham’s stadium is shut down because of ADA claim

Birmingham High School’s football stadium, the largest in the San Fernando Valley, has been closed to use by outside groups after a complaint was filed claiming that it does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Principal Bill Parks confirmed Tuesday.

The closure means that the City Section track and field championships scheduled to be held at Birmingham on May 29 will have to be moved. Alternative sites are being evaluated, City Section Commissioner John Aguirre said.

The claim was made last month against a 60-year-old facility that has seating for 10,000. Parks said its insurance carrier advised the school to shut down the facility except for small school gatherings. The school intends to hire an architect and examine what needs to be done to come into compliance with the 1990 federal law, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in public accommodation, among other provisions.

“We’re addressing it,” Parks said.

Birmingham, which is now a charter school, could have to spend thousands of dollars to upgrade the facility. And other aging athletic facilities in the Los Angeles Unified School District could face a similar prospects over possible ADA complaints.

Birmingham was used to host track meets in the spring, from league finals to the City finals. Leagues are scrambling to find alternative sites.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com