Parents of student-athletes on the girls' cross-country and softball teams have gone to the Daniel Boone School Board (in Pennsylvania) asking why their teams do not have assistant coaches. The boys' baseball team has an assistant coach. Worried about the safety of the members, parents are asking for funds to pay for assistant coaches for these teams and wondering if the lack of assistants currently is a Title IX violation.
We cannot say based on the information in this brief article. Do other girls' teams have assistant coaches? How many of the boys' teams have assistant coaches?
These are the things the school board--and the parents--will want to investigate when the issue comes up next at a board meeting.
I found this situation interesting in light of the recent trend in complaints where schools are being cited for multiple violations at once. This is a very specific complaint. I surmise that parents felt the absence of assistant coaches is an issue that needs remedying and sought a legal and persuasive way to remedy it--and they found Title IX.
