BERWICK, PA. Certify football's Mom Squad, state auditor recommends

The club lost its certification last year after failing to file updated paperwork.
BERWICK, Pa. (AP) -- The school district that is home to one of the nation's most successful high school football teams is moving toward meeting the recommendations of an audit regarding an unauthorized football booster club.
But the Berwick Area School District and the state Department of Education still have not resolved a years-old issue, uncovered in a previous audit, over whether football coach George Curry was improperly supervising the district's guidance counselors.
The audit report, which was made public Monday, says that the school district has adequate policy in place to deal with the Mom Squad, an unofficial booster club that has been criticized for operating outside the district's guidelines.
Last month, the school board approved a measure that granted recognition to the Mom Squad, while limiting the group to simply providing meals for players and coaches after games, superintendent David Force said Tuesday.
The district would have to change its policy if it wanted to allow the Mom Squad to purchase letter jackets or hooded sweat shirts, as it has done in the past.
How audit came about
It was those purchases that attracted the audit in the first place.
Berwick policy had limited teams to a single booster club, but made an exception for the Mom Squad and the 12th Man Club, both of which supported football.
But when the Mom Squad failed to file updated paperwork last year, the group lost its certification.
The state Auditor General's office was asked to investigate after the club continued raising money.
The audit found no misuse of funds by the Mom Squad, but said certain fund-raising activities and purchases were undertaken without proper school district approval.
For example, 93 letter jackets bought in 2002 for Berwick players cost $10,789; although the school took four closed bids, the purchase was never publicized.
The Public School Code requires that purchases of more than $10,000 be publicly advertised and open to competitive bidding.
If it was anywhere but Berwick, the dueling booster clubs might have gone unnoticed.
But the Bulldogs are among the nation's most storied high school football programs: winners of six PIAA championships, including the first run of four consecutive titles, and a three-time national champion according to USA Today.