Overview

We believe that the experience of children and young athletes in all organized sports should be guided by what is best for the safe and healthy development of the young person. Young athletes who participate in organized sports activities have a unique opportunity for learning. In working with each child, it is essential that we are mindful of their physical, emotional, and developmental needs. We must also be particularly diligent in recognizing the unique vulnerabilities that are an inherent part of childhood. It is the responsibility of all adults to not only recognize these vulnerabilities, but to develop the knowledge and skills needed to create and maintain a safe and child- centered sports environment.

 Practice Guidelines

1. Parents are encouraged to appropriately support their children’s swimming experience.
2. Parents should never interfere with the coach during practice.
3. All swimming practices should be open to observation by parents.
4. Two-deep Leadership: One coach member and at least one other adult who is not in the water should be present at all practices and other sanctioned club activities whenever at least one athlete is present.
5. Open and Observable Environment: An open and observable environment should be maintained for all interactions between adults and athletes. Private, or one-on- one situations, should be avoided unless they are open and observable. Common sense should be used to move a meeting to an open and observable location if the meeting inadvertently begins in private.
6. Coaches and other non-athlete adult members should avoid horseplay and roughhousing with athletes.
7. When a coach touches an athlete as part of instruction, the coach should do so in direct view of others and inform the athlete of what he/she is doing prior to the initial contact. Touching athletes should be minimized outside the boundaries of what is considered normal instruction. Appropriate interaction would include high fives, fist bumps, side-to-side hugs and handshakes.

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Safe Sport 

Safe Sport Policies apply to:

• All USA Swimming non-athlete members and adult athlete members; 
• Participating non-members (e.g., meet marshals, meet computer operators, timers, etc.); 
• LSC and club adult staff and board members; and 
• Any other adult authorized to have regular contact with or authority over minor athletes. 

ONE-ON-ONE INTERACTIONS 

1. Observable and Interruptible
   One-on-one interactions between a minor athlete and an Applicable Adult (who is not the minor’s legal guardian) must occur at an observable and interruptible distance from another adult unless meeting with a Mental Health Care Professional and/or Health Care Provider (see below) or under emergency circumstances. 
2. Meetings 
   1. Meetings between a minor athlete and an Applicable Adult may only occur if another adult is present and where interactions can be easily observed and at an interruptible distance from another adult, except under emergency circumstances. 
   2. If a one-on-one meeting takes place, the door to the room must remain unlocked and open. If available, it must occur in a room that has windows, with the windows, blinds, and/or curtains remaining open during the meeting. 
   3. Meetings must not be conducted in an Applicable Adult or athlete’s hotel room or other overnight lodging location during team travel. 
3. Meetings with Mental Health Care Professionals and/or Health Care Providers
   If a Mental Health Care Professional and/or Health Care Provider meets with a minor athlete in conjunction with participation, including at practice or competition sites, a closed-door meeting may be permitted to protect patient privacy provided that: 
   1. The door remains unlocked; 
   2. Another adult is present at the facility; 
   3. The other adult is advised that a closed-door meeting is occurring; and 
   4. Written legal guardian consent is obtained in advance by the Mental Health Care Professional and/or Health Care Provider, with a copy provided to Lone Star Aquatics. 
4. Individual Training Sessions 
   Individual training sessions outside of the regular course of training and practice between Applicable Adults and minor athletes are permitted if the training session is observable and interruptible by another adult. Legal guardians must be allowed to observe the training session. 

ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS BULLYING

PURPOSE
Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at Lone Star Aquatics and will not be tolerated. Bullying is counterproductive to team spirit and can be devastating to a victim. Lone Star is committed to providing a safe, caring and friendly environment for all of our members. If bullying does occur, all athletes and parents should know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell a coach, board member or athlete/mentor.

Objectives of the Lone Star Aquatics Bullying Policy and Action Plan:
1. To make it clear that Lone Star will not tolerate bullying in any form.
2. To define bullying and give all board members, coaches, parents and swimmers a good
understanding of what bullying is.
3. To make it known to all parents, swimmers and coaching staff that there is a policy and
protocol should any bullying issues arise.
4. To make how to report bullying clear and understandable.
5. To spread the word that Lone Star takes bullying seriously and that all swimmers
and parents can be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported.

WHAT IS BULLYING?
The USA Swimming Code of Conduct prohibits bullying. Generally, bullying is the use of aggression, whether intentional or not, which hurts another person. Bullying results in pain and distress.

The USA Swimming Code of Conduct defines bullying in 304.3.7. Bullying is the severe or repeated use by one or more USA Swimming members of oral, written, electronic or other technological expression, image, sound, data or intelligence of any nature (regardless of the method of transmission), or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at any other member that to a reasonably objective person has the effect of:
i. causing physical or emotional harm to the other member or damage to the other member’s property;
ii. placing the other member in reasonable fear of harm to himself/herself or of damage to his/her property;
iii. creating a hostile environment for the other member at any USA Swimming activity;
iv. infringing on the rights of the other member at any USA Swimming activity; or
v. materially and substantially disrupting the training process or the orderly operation of
any USA Swimming activity (which for the purposes of this section shall include, without limitation, practices, workouts and other events of a member club or LSC).

REPORTING PROCEDURE
An athlete who feels that he or she has been bullied is asked to do one or more of the following things:
- Talk to your parents;
- Talk to a Coach, Board Member, or other designated individual;
- Write a letter or email to the Coach, Board Member, or other designated
individual;
- Make a report to the USA Swimming Safe Sport staff.

There is no express time limit for initiating a complaint under this procedure, but every effort should be made to bring the complaint to the attention of the appropriate club leadership as soon as possible to make sure that memories are fresh and behavior can be accurately recalled and the bullying behavior can be stopped as soon as possible.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS 
All electronic communication from Applicable Adults to minor athletes must be professional in nature. 

1. Open and Transparent
   Absent emergency circumstances, if an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes needs to communicate directly with a minor athlete via electronic communications (including social media), the minor athlete’s legal guardian must be copied. If a minor athlete communicates to the Applicable Adult (with authority over the minor athlete) privately first, said Applicable Adult must copy the minor athlete’s legal guardian on any electronic communication response to the minor athlete. When an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes communicates electronically to the entire team, said Applicable Adult must copy another adult. 
2. Requests to Discontinue
   Legal guardians may request in writing that their minor athlete not be contacted through any form of electronic communication by Lone Star, LSC or by an Applicable Adult subject to this Policy. The organization must abide by any such request that the minor athlete not be contacted via electronic communication, or included in any social media post, absent emergency circumstances. 
3. Hours
   Electronic communications must only be sent between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., unless emergency circumstances exist, or during competition travel. 
4. Prohibited Electronic Communication
   Applicable Adults with authority over minor athletes are not permitted to maintain private social media connections with unrelated minor athletes and such Applicable Adults are not permitted to accept new personal page requests on social media platforms from minor athletes, unless the Applicable Adult has a fan page, or the contact is deemed as celebrity contact as opposed to regular contact. Existing social media connections with minor athletes must be discontinued. Minor athletes may “friend” Lone Star Aquatics and/or LSC’s official page. 

Applicable Adults with authority over minor athletes must not send private, instant or direct messages to a minor athlete through social media platforms. 

TRAVEL 

1. Local Travel
   Local travel consists of travel to training, practice and competition that occurs locally and does not include coordinated overnight stay(s). Applicable Adults must not ride in a vehicle alone with an unrelated minor athlete, absent emergency circumstances, and must always have at least two minor athletes or another adult in the vehicle, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the minor athlete’s legal guardian. 
2. Team Travel
   Team travel is travel to a competition or other team activity that the organization plans and supervises. 
   1. During team travel, when doing room checks two-deep leadership (two Applicable Adults should be present) and observable and interruptible environments must be maintained. When only one Applicable Adult and one minor athlete travel to a competition, the minor athlete’s legal guardian must provide written permission in advance and for each competition for the minor athlete to travel alone with said Applicable Adult. Team Managers and Chaperones who travel with Lone Star Aquatics or LSC must be USA Swimming members in good standing. 
   2. Unrelated Applicable Adults must not share a hotel room, other sleeping arrangement or overnight lodging location with a minor athlete. Minor athletes should be paired to share hotel rooms or other sleeping arrangements with other minor athletes of the same gender and of similar age. 
   3. Meetings during team travel must be conducted consistent with the One-on-One Interactions section of this Policy (i.e., any such meeting must be observable and interruptible). Meetings must not be conducted in an individual’s hotel room or other overnight sleeping location. 
   4. When only one athlete and one coach travel to a competition, the athlete must have his/her parents’ (or legal guardian’s) written permission in advance to travel alone with the coach. 

LOCKER ROOMS AND CHANGING AREAS 

1. Requirement to Use Locker Room or Changing Area
   The designated locker room or changing area must be used when an athlete or Applicable Adult changes, in whole or in part, into or out of a swimsuit when wearing just one suit (e.g., deck changing is prohibited). 
2. Use of Recording Devices
   Use of any device’s (including a cell phone’s) recording capabilities, including voice recording, still cameras and video cameras in locker rooms, changing areas, or similar spaces by a minor athlete or an Applicable Adult is prohibited. 
3. Undress
   An unrelated Applicable Adult must not expose his or her breasts, buttocks, groin or genitals to a minor athlete under any circumstance. An unrelated Applicable Adult must not request an unrelated minor athlete to expose the minor athlete’s breasts, buttocks, groin or genitals to the unrelated Applicable Adult under any circumstance. 
4. One-on-One Interactions
   Except for athletes on the same team or athletes attending the same competition, at no time are unrelated Applicable Adults permitted to be alone with a minor athlete in a locker room or changing area, except under emergency circumstances. If the organization is using a facility that only has a single locker room or changing area, separate times for use by Applicable Adults must be designated. 
5. Monitoring
   Lone Star Aquatics must regularly and randomly monitor the use of locker rooms and changing areas to ensure compliance with this Policy. Locker rooms and changing areas may be monitored by use of the following methods:
   1. Conducting a sweep of the locker room or changing area before athletes arrive; 
   2. Posting staff directly outside the locker room or changing area during periods of use; 
   3. Leaving the doors open when adequate privacy is still possible; and/or 
   4. Making occasional sweeps of the locker rooms or changing areas with women checking on female locker rooms and men checking on male locker rooms. 
6. Every effort must be made to recognize when a minor athlete goes to the locker room or changing area during practice and competition, and, if the minor athlete does not return in a timely fashion, to check on the minor athlete’s whereabouts. 
7. Legal Guardians in Locker Rooms or Changing Areas
   Legal guardians are discouraged from entering locker rooms and changing areas. If a legal guardian does enter a locker room or changing area, it must only be a same-sex legal guardian and the legal guardian should notify a coach or administrator in advance. 

MASSAGES AND RUBDOWNS/ATHLETE TRAINING MODALITIES 

1. Definition: In this section, the term “Massage” refers to any massage, rubdown, athletic training modality including physical modalities (e.g., stretching, physical manipulation, injury rehabilitation, etc.) and electronic or instrument assisted modalities (e.g., stim treatment, dry needling, cupping, etc.). 

1. General Requirement
   Any Massage performed on an athlete must be conducted in an open and interruptible location and must be performed by a licensed massage therapist or other certified professional. However, even if a coach is a licensed massage therapist, the coach must not perform a rubdown or massage of an athlete under any circumstance. 

1. Additional Minor Athlete Requirements 
   1. Written consent by a legal guardian must be obtained in advance by the licensed massage therapist or other certified professional, with a copy provided to Club Name. 
   2. Legal guardians must be allowed to observe the Massage. 
   3. Any Massage of a minor athlete must be done with at least one other adult present and must never be done with only the minor athlete and the person performing the Massage in the room. 
   4. Any Massage of a minor athlete must only occur after a proper diagnosis from a treating physician and be done in the course of care according to the physician’s treatment plan