When it comes to complying with Title IX, discussions and good intentions aren't enough. That was the lesson learned at Richmond (N.C.) Senior High School, where a parent's complaint led to an Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigation.

The news came in the spring of 2009, according to Hal Shuler, Athletic Director at the time, who is now Assistant Principal at Rockingham Middle School, in the same school district. "We knew we had some inequities in our facilities, and we'd had numerous conversations over time about fixing them," he says. "But no concrete plans had been made, and with finances getting tighter, things had stalled.

"Then a parent contacted the OCR and complained that our softball facility was inferior to our baseball facility," he continues. "We got a call from the OCR telling us they were opening an investigation."

Shuler's work began immediately, as the OCR required written answers to detailed questions about the entire athletic program. "They asked about facilities, uniforms, practice times, dressing rooms, and several other items across all our sports," he says.

Next, two investigators from the OCR arrived on campus. They stayed for three days, touring facilities and interviewing players and coaches. "I showed them around, but I was not involved in the interviews," Shuler says. "We wanted players and coaches to feel free to say what they needed to say."

About five months later, Richmond administrators received a report outlining the steps the OCR advised them to take, which were presented to the board of education. The board then approved $105,000 in improvements to girls' facilities.

The softball field will see new bleachers, as well as a fence, backstop, and dugouts. The infield and warning track will be regraded, and the irrigation system will be improved. Lights are scheduled to be added in a second phase, set for next year.

Inequities were also found in girls' basketball. "We have one locker room for boys and one for girls," Shuler explains. "On basketball game days, the girls' locker room has historically been used by the visiting team. When our girls played at home, they have had to use the boys' locker room. The OCR said we needed to create an additional locker room to avoid that scenario. So we're converting a space we weren't using by adding tiles and lockers."

This initial $105,000 worth of work will be paid for using the district's capital fund balance, while the second phase will likely be covered by the county's taxpayers, says Shuler. A third phase is being developed for implementation the following year, with items still being selected.

Although he was initially caught off-guard by the OCR investigation, Shuler believes staying positive, rather than getting defensive, was the key. "I never saw it as a negative that this parent went to the OCR," he says. "We knew we needed to make some changes, and his concerns were valid. His complaint got things moving in the right direction, and the end result is what matters."

Communicating openly with parents was also important. "Right after the board approved funding for the first phase, we met with our softball parents," Shuler says. "We wanted to show them the plan and allow them to voice any comments or concerns. The parent who made the complaint attended and expressed some opinions, which was helpful."

In addition, Richmond is creating a long-term plan for meeting Title IX requirements. "We learned you need to continually be working on gender equity and making progress," Shuler says. "You can't just talk about doing things. If you don't put your goals on paper and assign a timeline to them, it's too easy to put them off.

"We're going to create a 10- or 15-year written plan that everyone signs on to, including administrators and the school board," he continues. "And we'll make sure our coaches, athletes, and parents are aware of what we're working on."

Putting goals in writing will also allow for financial planning. "If we'd created a plan 10 years ago, we could have done these upgrades incrementally and avoided everything we just went through," Shuler says. "Better long-term planning is probably the best thing that has come out of this situation."