WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA Program pays police OT

A coach says the school district doesn't support girls teams.
GIBSONIA, Pa. (AP) -- A school district outside Pittsburgh is accused of discriminating against its female athletes in a U.S. Department of Education complaint filed by a former volleyball coach.
Kris Ruppert contends the Pine-Richland School District doesn't abide by Title IX, which requires female athletes to be given a similar "athletic experience" to boys at any school that receives federal funding.
Pine-Richland was accused of disparate treatment of its female basketball players several years ago and signed a federal consent decree to improved girls' athletic opportunities in 1999.
But Ruppert claims that Pine-Richland shunts girls aside to second-class locker rooms and other facilities, and doesn't support its girls sports teams as much as it does the boys teams, most notably the football team.
"My complaint is not about money" that the district spends on boys vs. girls sports, Ruppert said. "It's about support. The message this administration gives is that Steve is more important than Susie."
What officials said
Ruppert, who quit her Pine-Richland job last week to coach at Shaler Area High School, also in Allegheny County, is considered one of the best volleyball coaches in the state. Pine-Richland was a perennial contender for the PIAA and WPIAL championships under her tenure.
School officials pledged to investigate Ruppert's contentions after learning of the complaint she filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on Thursday.
"Kris Ruppert has raised a lot of issues, so I'm meeting with all the coaches of female activities, members of the [physical education] department, the athletic director and the young ladies in the athletic program," said Judi Boren, the district's Title IX coordinator. Boren is charged with keeping the school district in compliance with the law.
Ruppert contends the school spent $20,000 on banquets for its football team and funneled money raised for all sports programs to the football team for equipment. Ruppert and other players kept logs to chart the alleged inequities.
Some examples
Female basketball and volleyball players weren't allowed to make overnight trips even though boys wrestling and running teams did, the complaint said. Ruppert also said that spending on boys coaches was 50 percent higher than it was on women's coaches.
Female track team members dressed in a room used by football officials, while boys track team members dressed in a larger, nicer locker room used by visiting football teams, she said.
Ruppert also alleges girls have to buy some of their own uniforms and equipment, while the same items for boys are paid for by the school and boosters.
"I think coach Ruppert is absolutely right," said Cally Malone, a junior volleyball player. "Not everything is fair and everyone knows it. Look at what they do for the football players. What do they do for us?"