No female student-athletes signed up for girls’ wrestling at Cleveland High School in Southeast Portland, Ore., this season. Instead, the former team can be found practicing at a local martial arts gym with their former coach as the result of a Title IX investigation and lawsuit.
According to Oregon Live, former coach Kiera Gabaldon and five girls claim the high school and Portland Public Schools “violated Title IX by not giving the Cleveland girls wrestling team equal opportunities as the boys.”
While that investigation is ongoing, the student-athletes are continuing to hone their skills under Gabaldon’s guidance at American Top Team Gym. They can no longer compete for Cleveland High School or be eligible for state championship tournaments because the Oregon High School Athletic Association “does not approve teams not affiliated with districts.”
Related: Girls’ Wrestling Coach’s Title IX Lawsuit Accuses Boys’ Coach of Unequal, Inappropriate Treatment
The Title IX lawsuit brought by Gabaldon and the student-athletes alleges that the girls were barred from practicing in the gymnasium, instead being relegated to the cafeteria, and that competitions were regularly scheduled for the boys’ team that did not include the girls’ team. Female student-athletes reported being made to feel uncomfortable around the head coach, Rustin Marchello, when he “frequently made gender-based comments and ‘leers’.”
On top of the unequal and inappropriate treatment by Marchello, Gabaldon claims she lost her position as the girls’ wrestling coach after voicing concerns to the school and Marchello.
After the lawsuit was filed, Portland Public Schools and OHSAA offered the girls improved practice conditions and a new coach, but the student-athletes and parents said the replacement offered couldn’t compare to Gabaldon.
In response to the lack of a girls’ team, Cleveland High School boys’ wrestling coach Marchello told WW, “My focus has always been, and remains, on the well-being, safety, and development of every student in our wrestling program. I want to say clearly to our women’s wrestlers: Your voices matter and there will always be a place for you on Cleveland’s wrestling team.”
A spokesperson for Portland Public Schools reiterated Marchello’s statement and said she “hopes the girls will opt to compete for their school.” The spokesperson did not comment on the ongoing Title IX investigation or lawsuit.
