In addition to working to maintain a strong Title IX and a comprehensive public policy agenda that increases opportunities for girls and women to participate in sports and physical activity, the Women's Sports Foundation responds to hundreds of calls and e-mails asking for help with specific gender equity, Title IX, the Amateur Sports Act, and coaching and employment situations at the local level. Read about some of the people we have helped.
Parent Searches for Solutions to Daughter’s Abusive Coach (Fla.) – via phone. A parent contacted the Foundation regarding her daughter’s softball coach. The mother feels that the coach is verbally and emotionally abusive toward her daughter and other members of the softball team. The mother said the coach has a long history of mentally, verbally and sexually abusing the girls. For example, the mother said that the coach has repeatedly walked in on girls when they were changing in the locker room and has had inappropriate relationships with certain players. The mother contacted other parents with similar concerns and tried to schedule a meeting with the athletic director, but has still not been granted a meeting. The mother said the school has admitted that the coach did engage in illegal practices, but she believes the coach has not been disciplined because of the relationship he has with the administration. The Advocacy Department explained that Title IX prohibits sexual harassment and provided the mother with an attorney referral and recommended she contact the Office of Civil Rights. We also sent her Verbal, Physical and Psychological Abuse of Athletes: The Foundation Position, a paper that explains what constitutes verbal and psychological harassment and how athletes and parents can stand up for the athletes’ rights and is now looking to see what other advice the Foundation can provide. The Advocacy Department also explained to her that the best situation seems to be “play the political game.” The parent has already begun this process, but we sent her the article Step-by-Step: A Practical Guide to Assessing and Getting Gender Equity, a resource that gives activists a detailed, step-by-step plan for achieving gender equity and for more ideas on how to develop an action plan. This situation is pending.
Coach Goes to “Bat” for Equitable Facilities (Ill.) – via phone. A coach contacted the Foundation regarding his school’s compliance with Title IX. He has been in negotiations to bring the softball program into an equitable status with the baseball program for over a year. Specifically, facilities that is comparable to the baseball program. He has had meetings and exchanged letters with the administrators regarding the situation. Recently, he said some significant improvements have been made but not nearly enough. He said he was promised much more change in writing but now the school administrators are telling him they do not have enough funds to make any more changes. The Advocacy Department explained that Title IX requires schools to provide comparable facilities for their male and female athletes. We suggested that he continuing working within the school system for change or file a compliant with the Office of Civil Rights and also provided him with an attorney referral. This situation is pending.
Principal Stands Up for Students (Texas) – via e-mail. A junior high school principal contacted the Foundation regarding retaliation towards her for trying to enforce equitable treatment for the students at her school. She said the school does not offer a softball team and there are plenty of girls interested. She also said that the school district does not actively recruit women coaches. Currently, there are only two female coaches at her school and another at the high school. She said the school will often require one of the junior high female coaches to travel with the high school male coach and his female athletes in order to serve as a chaperon. After complaining about these issues, the principal was reprimanded and docked in pay. We sent her Playing Fair, a resource that explains Title IX rules and regulations to help athletes, coaches, parents and others better analyze their school’s athletic programs; A Step by Step Guide to Gender Equity and Verbal, Physical and Psychological Abuse of Athletes: The Foundation Position. We also encouraged her to review the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guide, Enforcement Guidance on Sex Discrimination in the Compensation of Sports Coaches in Educational Institutions. After reviewing the information, she contacted us to inform us she was placed on administrative leave. Now, she said the school is saying that there was a testing irregularity on the state test and she has been blamed for the problem. The Advocacy Department provided her with an attorney referral. This situation is pending.
Parent Challenges Inequitable Treatment (Texas) – via phone. A parent contacted the Foundation regarding his daughter’s school’s compliance with Title IX. His daughter participates in most sports at the school, and he said there are not equal budgets, facilities and coaches available for the girls. The Advocacy Department explained that Title IX requires schools to provide both their female and male athletes with comparable access to facilities and coaches and sent him Playing Fair, Steps to Take to Get Gender Equity and information on how to file a complaint with the OCR. This situation is pending.
Mother “Serves” School Notice on Abusive Coaching (N.C.) – via phone. A parent contacted the Foundation regarding her daughter’s volleyball coach. The mother feels that the coach is verbally and emotionally abusive toward her daughter. The mother said she spoke to the coach regarding favoritism toward a particular player and the fowl language she used during games. After that conversation, the mother said the coach retaliated against the daughter and made it hard for her to participate on the team. The mother has tried to speak to administrators, but they are not taking action. The mother spoke to the local NAACP Chapter, and it drafted a letter to the Chancellor about the problems the daughter was having. The Chancellor did not respond or take action. After speaking with the parent, the Advocacy Department sent her Verbal, Physical and Psychological Abuse of Athletes: The Foundation Position. The Advocacy Department also explained to her that the best situation seems to be “play the political game” and detailed some steps that she can take in an e-mail. The parent has already begun this process, but we sent her the article Step-by-Step: A Practical Guide to Assessing and Getting Gender Equity to develop an action plan. This situation is pending.
Parent Goes to “Bat” for Equal Facilities (N.Y.) via e-mail. A parent contacted the Foundation regarding her daughter’s school not providing the softball team with acceptable facilities. Her daughter sprained her ankle practicing on the field because it has holes and ruts in it, and she had to go to physical therapy as a result of the injury. She said the baseball facilities are acceptable and located on school grounds. The softball field is also located off school grounds, and the girls have to cross a busy intersection while carrying all of their equipment to the site. The Advocacy Department explained to her that a school is obligated to ensure that the overall benefits and treatments of the male and female programs are comparable. We further explained that under Title IX, budgets for men’s and women’s teams do not have to be equal, but the bottom line is that the benefits provided must be equal. The facilities that are being used are one benefit that must be equally provided to the men’s and women’s programs. We sent her Playing Fair, Steps to Take to Get Gender Equity and a link to our Web site to evaluate her school’s compliance with Title IX. This situation is pending.
Mother Challenges Coach’s Abuse, Retaliation (Ala.) – via phone. A parent contacted the Foundation regarding her daughter’s softball coach being verbally abusive toward the team. If the team does not win games or makes mistakes, the mother said the coach uses profanity, makes them practice longer and refuses to allow them to warm up as a punishment. The mother scheduled a meeting with the school principal to discuss the issues. After the meeting, the mother said the coach began to make things difficult for her daughter and would not play her in games. The Advocacy Department sent her Playing Fair, Steps to Take to Get Gender Equity and Verbal, Physical and Psychological Abuse of Athletes: The Foundation Position. The Advocacy Department also explained to her that the best situation seems to be “play the political game” and detailed some steps that she can take in an e-mail. This situation is pending.
Mother Fights for Team’s Safety (Pa.) – via phone. A parent contacted the Foundation regarding her daughter’s volleyball coach being verbally abusive toward the team. The mother said the coach makes the girls feel threatened and scared for their safety. She said the coach has grabbed the girls in anger if they do not perform acceptably, throws balls and clipboards around on the sideline, makes sexual references, tells them they cannot order their food a certain way and sent a letter filled with explicit language to the team and their families. The mother spoke to the Title IX/general counsel at the school about the abuse and was promised confidentiality. The mother said the next day, the coach went up to her daughter and told her she was not going to get her red shirt that she needed to play. After this incident, the mother said she spoke to the assistant athletic director and was told there would be an investigation and the department would get back to her with the results. The Advocacy Department sent her Playing Fair, Steps to Take to Get Gender Equity and Verbal, Physical and Psychological Abuse of Athletes: The Foundation Position. We also provided her with an attorney referral. This situation is pending.
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