Title IX complaint targets football Complaint says Phillipsburg girls' sports treated poorly. Friday, March 23, 2007 • By DANIEL HAUSMANN • The Express-Times Allegations of preferential treatment for Phillipsburg High School's top-ranked football team are at the core of a written complaint that spurred a federal review of the district's athletic programs. Most of the alleged violations involve perks given to the high school football team, but not to female athletes. The Office for Civil Rights, an agency under the federal Department of Education, cited privacy concerns in not releasing the name of the complainant. The agency investigates Title IX complaints, the federal statute designed to bring equality to federally funded education programs, including sports. According to the complaint, football players were given free game-day breakfasts, post game parties in the school, shirts, rings and jackets. The complainant alleges football players were provided SAT tutoring and allowed to practice during the school day. The complainant also claims the football, boys basketball and wrestling teams hire a paid videographer for all games while the girls basketball team only has home games taped. Office for Civil Rights spokesman Jim Bradshaw said the vast majority of cases are resolved through compliance agreements. The agency requested an inventory of items ranging from coaching positions and training facilities to the publicity and banquets that are provided for each team. Phillipsburg hired Skillman, N.J., law firm Stier Anderson to look into the issues raised in the complaint. Attorney Edwin Stier could not be reached for comment Thursday. Phillipsburg Superintendent Gordon Pethick said he expects a report, with recommendations, to be finished in the next few weeks. Phillipsburg hired Stier Anderson after receiving an internal complaint. The firm has been paid $60,000 so far. Phillipsburg was notified of the federal investigation Feb. 7. The federal complaint was filed Dec. 8, alleging that the violations occurred over the fall. Pethick said the internal complaint was filed sometime in the winter. Pethick would only comment that specific complaints were being investigated. "We do not want to have children treated differently," Pethick said. "Whatever the investigation brings forward we will handle expeditiously." The allegations are in addition to complaints brought forward by school board athletic committee Chairman Sal Patti. He said there are discrepancies in pay for some male and female coaches and there was no middle school softball team. Patti could not be reached for comment Thursday. Bernie Brotzman, a member of the athletic committee, said he knows who the complainant is but would not disclose the identity. He said the person does not have children in the Phillipsburg School District. Brotzman disputed that the football team is getting more that other athletes, including gifts from boosters. "When the girls win the championship they get the same thing," Brotzman said. "I really don't see what (the complainant) has to complain about." Fellow committeeman Jim Hanisak coaches 7th- and 8th-grade football. He said most of the gifts come from the booster clubs. "They give it out equally across all the sports," Hanisak said. Hanisak said his committee didn't sign off on "perks." Under an additional comments portion of the complaint report, the complainant alleged the existence of a "good ole boys club" that will try to cover up the truth. "The attitude that girl athletes are second-class citizens is pervasive in the athletic leadership," the complainant wrote. "Intimidation of witnesses will be a problem. Retaliation against me or supporters of my position is anticipated." Pethick responded to that by saying it's illegal to retaliate against whistleblowers. "We would never do that," Pethick said. "The bottom line is we want what's best for the kids. If there are issues they will be corrected and it will be a better environment." Reporter Daniel Hausmann can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at dhausmann@express-times.com. © 2007 The Express-Times. Used by NJ.com with permission.