Reno Aquatic Club Grievance Procedure 

Adopted: December 8, 2021

 

The Reno Aquatic Club 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:

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

For issues dealing with known or suspected child abuse:

  • Washoe County (Reno and surrounding area) call 833-900-SAFE or visit the Washoe County website for more information

For issues dealing with peer-to-peer bullying, coach-athlete bullying, parent issues, violations of the Reno Aquatic Club Code of Conduct and violations of the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy(MAAPP) not addressed in other sections.

  • These issues are handled at the club level following the procedures outlined below.

WHOM TO NOTIFY OF A GRIEVANCE 

Depending on the nature of the grievance, and the comfort level of the complainant, concerns should first be discussed directly with the person involved.  In no case however, should a parent attempt to discuss or confront a swimmer who is not their child unless it is a fact-finding or other meeting to discuss an issue.  Should you be uncomfortable, already attempted discussion with no perceived outcome, or the situation be more serious, follow the below guidance:

 

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

  • Should a parent or swimmer feel another swimmer’s conduct is inappropriate or violates the Reno Aquatic Club(RAC) Code of Conduct, the parent/swimmer should discuss these concerns with the coach of the swimmer responsible for the violation (Responsible Coach). This complaint should be made in person or in writing.  Coaches will ensure the RAC Head Coach is notified of the complaint; the head coach leads the assessment of the behavior.  Results of the assessment and any recommended actions taken are reported to the President, or their designee, in writing, before closing the issue with the complainant.

 

Regarding the Conduct of an Assistant or Age Group Coach - Contact 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 RAC Board President is notified of the complaint and will participate in assessing behavior.

 

Regarding Conduct of Head Coach – Notify the RAC 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 any member of the Board of Directors, with notification made in writing to the President.  This complaint will be subject to review and discussion by the Grievance Committee, with any consequences imposed by the Board of Directors.

 

Regarding Board of Director Member Conduct - Notify the RAC 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 Vice President should be notified in writing or in person instead of the Board President. This complaint will be reviewed by the Grievance Committee and discussed by the full Board of Directors.

 

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

  • Should a parent or swimmer feel another RAC parent’s or an official’s conduct is inappropriate or violates any Club or USA Swimming 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 Grievance Committee, with any consequences imposed 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 wetside time.

 

HOW GRIEVANCES WILL BE HANDLED

The Board of Directors have the authority to impose penalties for infractions of the RAC 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. The Board delegates to the Head Coach authority to hold the coaching staff and swimmers accountable for behavior during club activities. Consequences are at the sole discretion of the coaches and/or RAC 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 or termination. 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. The RAC President shall establish a grievance committee.  The Committee shall be prepared to handle grievances for the Board and support the Head Coach’s evaluations of grievances.
  2. Gathering Information: The Head Coach determines the appropriate individuals who 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, in writing, photos, electronically.  
  3. 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.
  4. Consequences will be given and disciplinary action will be progressive in nature, although consequences up to and including removal from the team may be imposed depending on individual circumstances. These consequences and disciplinary actions will be decided using the following general guidelines: 
    1. Nature of the misconduct
    2. Severity of the misconduct
    3. Prior disciplinary actions
    4. Adverse effect of the misconduct
    5. Application of the Code of Conduct
  5. The complainant shall be informed that investigation is concluded and if consequences were imposed, and that the matter is closed.  The complainant is not given information about specific consequences because that is considered sensitive personal information.
  6. The RAC maintains a record of the grievance for two years.

 

DEFINITIONS

Definitions of Safe Sport terms, additional information about certain behaviors, and training can be found in:

 

The current version of the Safe Sport Code for the Olympic and Paralympic Movement,

https://uscenterforsafesport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SafeSportCode2021_040121_V3.pdf

 

And, at:

https://www.usaswimming.org/safe-sport