Public League champs charged with using ineligible players

Two ineligible players who commuted to Philadelphia from their Chester County homes helped Prep Charter roll to the last two Public League girls' basketball championships, according to the School District of Philadelphia's inspector general office.

A 21/2-month investigation discovered that the two players lived in Coatesville and not at the Philadelphia addresses that they provided to the school.

The office said the PIAA would take any action to change the results of the last two seasons, including possibly stripping the school of its league titles.

Under PIAA rules, a team must forfeit any game in which it uses ineligible players.

Along with back-to-back Public League titles, Prep Charter captured the last two PIAA District 12 Class AAA championships.

No ineligible players were found on the team's 2010-11 Public League-title squad, the office said.

The report recommends that the school district collect past tuition from the two players and monitor Prep Charter more closely.

According to the district, the regular education repayment rate for 2011-2012 is $8,773 and $8,067.93 for 2012-2013. The special education repayment rate is $19,423 for 2011-2012 and $19,840.62.

Both students attended Prep Charter school this year, but only one attended the South Philadelphia school last year.

Spokesman Fernando Gallard said the School Reform Commission had received the report and would review it.

Historically, families from outside the city have attempted to send their children to some district schools, and "in those cases, the district has requested reimbursement from the families," Gallard said. "But to my knowledge, we have not had this happen with a charter school."

But it seemed likely that the families involved would be pursued for payment, Gallard indicated.

"We have taken similar steps before," he said.

The report also recommends that the PIAA initiate an investigation into all Prep Charter athletic programs.

Prep Charter athletic director Chuck Pearsall said that he had not seen the results of the investigation but that he expected District 12 to sanction the Huskies program.

A call to the PIAA office was not immediately returned. Robert Coleman, the School District of Philadelphia's executive director of athletics, was out of town and unavailable for comment.

All three Public League titles were gained through victories against Central. Central could be declared the champion if Prep Charter's title were stripped, but Central athletic director Jim Sinnot said he had no interest in championships not won on the court.

The investigation was triggered by a complaint from a Coatesville woman who saw the two players ride the train each morning and notified the school district. She said she recognized the two from seeing them play against her goddaughter's Public League team.

On March 1, investigators visited both of the players' listed Philadelphia residences.

An aunt of one of the girls answered the door at a Southwest Philadelphia housing project and denied that the player lived there, the office said.

The player slept there on occasion, the aunt said, and used the address for "mail and to attend Prep Charter," the office said. She told investigators that the player took SEPTA's regional rail from Coatesville to reach Prep Charter, the office added.

At the other player's Philadelphia address, a Southwest Philadelphia rowhome, an aunt answered the door and said the player and her mother lived there.

According to the report, the player's mother has a Pennsylvania driver's license with a Coatesville address and a housing property listed in the Chester County real estate files. Neither the player nor her mother received mail at the Philadelphia address.

A 2009 Mercedes Benz, registered to the mother, was parked in the Coatesville driveway when investigators visited.

Ashley Logue, in her first year as head coach after serving as an assistant at Prep Charter, reportedly told investigators that she might have dropped the players off at 30th Street Station but was not sure of any details.

Her assistant coach, Mike Richmond, told investigators that on some occasions, he drove the players to 30th Street Station after practices, the office said.