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Amherst Tritons Swim Team Grievance Procedure

The Amherst Tritons Swim Team Grievance Procedure provides swimmers, parents, coaches, club leaders and employees a system to address and report grievances in a productive, systematic way. Following these Procedures provides the appropriate parties a means to properly investigate, intervene, and take disciplinary action when needed.  

WHERE TO REPORT:

  • For issues dealing with sexual misconduct, sexual harassment and/or sexually explicit or inappropriate communication through social media:

 U.S. Center for SafeSport: 833-5US-SAFE (587-7233) or https://safesport.i-sight.com/portal

  • For issues dealing with physical abuse, emotional abuse, criminal charges and the use, sale or distribution of illegal drugs:

USA Swimming Safe Sport: [email protected] or https://fs22.formsite.com/usaswimming/form10/index.html

  • For issues dealing with known or suspected child abuse:

Contact local law enforcement and/or Child Protective Services https://www.mass.gov/locations/dcf-area-office-coverage-by-town

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Issues dealing with peer-to-peer bullying, coach-athlete bullying, parent issues, and violations of the Amherst Tritons Swim Team Code of Conduct (Parent, Swimmer, or Coach), are handled at the club level.  Please follow the procedures outlined below.·       

Regarding the Conduct of a Swimmer - Notify the swimmer’s coach.

·       Should a parent or swimmer feel another swimmer’s conduct is inappropriate or violates the Amherst Tritons Swim Team Code of Conduct, the parent/swimmer should discuss these concerns with the coach of the swimmer responsible for the violation.  This complaint should be made in person or in writing.  Coaches will ensure the Amherst Tritons Swim Team Board of Directors is notified of the complaint and will participate in assessing behavior.

 

 

Regarding the Conduct of an Assistant or Age Group Coach - Notify the Head Coach

·       Should a parent or swimmer feel an Assistant or Age Group Coach’s conduct is inappropriate or in violation of any Club policies or procedures, the parent/swimmer should notify the Head Coach of this violation.  This complaint should be made in person or in writing.  The Head Coach will ensure that the Amherst Tritons Swim Team Board of Directors is notified of the complaint and will participate in assessing behavior.

 

Regarding Conduct of Head Coach – Notify the Amherst Tritons Swim Team Board President 

·       Should a parent or swimmer feel the Head Coach’s conduct is inappropriate or violates any Club policies or procedures, the parent/swimmer should notify the President of the Board of Directors of this violation.  This complaint should be made in person or in writing.   If the President is not immediately available, this complaint may be presented to the team Safe Sport Coordinator, with notification made in writing to the President.  This complaint will be reviewed and discussed by the full Board of Directors.

 

Regarding Board of Director Member Conduct - Notify the Amherst Tritons Swim Team Board President

·       Should a parent or swimmer feel a Director’s conduct is inappropriate or violates any Club policies or procedures, the parent/swimmer should notify the Board President of this violation in person or in writing. If the Board President is the Director whose conduct is in question, the Board Safe Sport Coordinator should be notified in writing or in person instead of the Board President. This complaint will be reviewed and discussed by the full Board of Directors.

 

Regarding Parent or Swim Official Conduct - Notify the Head Coach and Board President

·       Should a parent or swimmer feel another Amherst Tritons Swim Team parent’s or an official’s conduct is inappropriate or violates any Club policies or procedures, the parent/swimmer should notify the Head Coach and Board President of this violation in person or in writing. This complaint will be reviewed and discussed by the full Board of Directors.

 

Note: With the exception of issues which immediately affect the health and safety of swimmers, all matters should be discussed before or after a coaching session, as coaches should not be expected to deal with issues during water time.

 

Amherst Tritons Swim Team - How Grievances Will Be Handled

The Board of Directors have the authority to impose penalties for infractions of the Amherst Tritons Swim Team Athlete, Parent and Coach Codes of Conduct or any behavior(s) they deem not conducive to the best interests of the Club or other swimmers. Consequences are at the sole discretion of the coaches and/or Amherst Tritons Swim Team Board of Directors and may include, but aren’t limited to, verbal warnings, dismissal from practice, contacting parents, temporary suspension from club activities, and expulsion. Involved parties will be informed of the processes and range of potential consequences. The U.S. Center for SafeSport, USA Swimming and local law enforcement (if applicable) will be contacted within 24 hours if a coach, parent, or swimmer violates the SafeSport Code for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movements, the USA Swimming Code of Conduct, Athlete Protection Policy, or local laws.

 

  1. Gathering Information: The appropriate individuals will contact the person who filed the grievance, and the person against whom the grievance is being filed, to ask questions about what happened. In addition, other witnesses may be contacted for more information.  All information will be recorded on the Amherst Tritons Swim Team grievance procedure form. 

  2. Assessing Behavior: The behavior of the person(s) against which the grievance was brought, will be assessed using club policies and facility rules, USA Swimming Code of Conduct, USA Swimming Safe Sport policies, as well as applicable local and state laws.

  3. Next Steps:  An action plan will be developed and/or disciplinary action with consequences will be taken, as appropriate. These consequences and disciplinary actions will be decided using the following general guidelines (please see Amherst Tritons Swim Team Disciplinary Procedures for additional information): 

a.     Nature of the misconduct

b.     Severity of the misconduct

c.     Prior disciplinary actions

d.     Adverse effect of the misconduct

e.     Application of the Code of Conduct