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Policies

Coach and Volunteer Screening Policy

A. General Policy: It is the policy of the Rhode Island Amateur Hockey Association (d.b.a. RI Hockey) that all coaches (head and assistants), officials, managers and other individuals who have routine access to minor children (anyone under the age of majority) (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Applicant”) must consent to a background-screening check performed by RI Hockey or its designee. Further, it is RI Hockey’s policy that all members of the RI Hockey as defined by the RI Hockey Constitution and By-Laws, including, but not limited to, Member Associations (“MA”), Associate Members (“AM”), hockey associations, teams and individuals affiliated with RI Hockey adopt and abide by this Screening Policy as a condition of their affiliation.

B. Purpose for the Policy: The purpose of the RI Hockey background-screening policy is to conduct a search for information that will assist RI Hockey in determining whether an Applicant is qualified under the terms of this policy to serve as a coach, official, manager, or in some other position affording routine access to minor children participating in RI Hockey related programs and those of its affiliates.  

C. On-Line Screening Process: RI Hockey has implemented an on-line background-screening process through its designee Protect Youth Sports. The on-line process shall begin with the 2012-2013 playing season, and shall remain in effect until further action by RI Hockey. The RI Hockey on-line background-screening process and instructions for completing the process can be accessed from the RI Hockey website. The President of RI Hockey, or his or her designee, shall order the results of the background-screening checks weekly and all reports from Protect Youth Sports shall be returned to the President or his designee.

D. Compliance: Each MA, AM, coach, official, manager or other individual required to be screened shall comply with RI Hockey Screening Policy.

E. Applicant Consent: All Applicants must consent to undergo a bi-annual background-screening check performed by Protect Youth Sports as a condition precedent to qualifying for and serving as a coach, official, manager or other position that has routine access to minor children.

F. Refusal to Consent: Refusal by an Applicant to consent to RI Hockey conducting a screening-background check in accordance with this policy shall disqualify said Applicant from serving as a coach, official, manager, or in another position affording routine access to minor children.  Furthermore, any Applicant required to be screened by this policy who does not consent to be screened or otherwise fails to complete the background-screening process as required by this policy shall not be allowed to participate in any RI Hockey, New England District or USA Hockey sanctioned activities, including, but not limited to, all team activities and any “on ice” or “off ice” hockey activities.  Any instance of refusal or non-compliance may be referred by the RI Hockey President to the RI Hockey Executive Committee or other appropriate body for review and further action.

G. Deadline: All Applicants subject to this screening must complete the process before undertaking any interactions with players and teams.    

Go to Screening

APPROVED PERSONNEL LIST:

All screening has been integrated with the USA Hockey Registry and this file has been removed from the site.


Co-ed Locker Room Policy

The issue of co-ed dressing arrangements in locker rooms continues to come up, and USA Hockey is frequently asked to provide some type of guideline about dealing with such situations. Teams, leagues, associations and USA Hockey need to recognize that there are gender equity issues to deal with when managing a co-ed locker room setting. Both female and male privacy rights must be given consideration and appropriate arrangements made.

USA Hockey’s member organizations should consider the following:

1. Recognize that it is an issue that must be dealt with and that favoring one group over another can produce legal ramifications;

2. Recognize that the ideal situation of using two, separate dressing rooms is not possible in many ice rink/arena settings;

3. Recognize that it is an issue that will increase in visibility as girl’s/ women’s participation in USA Hockey continues to grow; and

4. Recognize that it is an issue for members who are participating as players, coaches and officials.

Our recommendations, made in conjunction with the Girls’/Women’s Section, the Coaching Education Program and the Officiating Program, are as follows:

NOTE: Make certain that two properly screened adults are present in locker room settings to supervise. Arrange to provide supervisors who are of the same sex as the children they are to protect. Please follow Coaching Ethics guidelines.

A. Where possible, have the male and female players undress/dress in separate locker rooms; then convene in a single dressing room to hold the coach’s pregame meeting;

B. Once the game is finished, hold the coach’s post game meeting; then have the male and female players proceed to their separate dressing rooms to undress and shower (separately), if available.

C. In those cases where separate facilities are not available, have one gender enter the locker room and change into their uniforms. That gender then leaves the locker room, while the other gender dresses. Both genders would then assemble in the locker room and hold the coach’s pre-game meeting.

D. Following the game and the coach’s post game meeting, where separate facilities are not available, the second gender group enters the locker room and undresses, while the first group waits outside until they have undressed and left the room. Once the second group leaves, the first group enters the locker room and undresses.

NOTE: Taking turns is a means of ‘reasonable accommodation’, so neither gender group is favored, nor is “the ones who always have to wait” and it’s fair.

Failing to establish some type of similar procedure, or failure to seriously consider the privacy issues will likely lead to complaints and/or lawsuits. By being proactive on this issue, everyone [coaches, players, officials, volunteers and parents] can enjoy the sport without the worry of legal actions or the invasion of privacy concerns arising.

Lastly, reinforce to all players, coaches, officials, volunteers and parents that your organizations are going to take this issue seriously. It is not acceptable under USA Hockey’s By-Laws – Policies on Physical and Sexual Abuse – for members to be observing the opposite gender while they dress or undress. Members and volunteers who violate USA Hockey’s policies, or who violate the privacy rights of others, could be subject to appropriate discipline. Your attention to this topic and to preventing problems arising from this issue will be greatly appreciated. We are grateful for your cooperation and assistance in providing an enjoyable, safer experience for USA Hockey’s membership.


Safe Sport

USA Hockey has long had systems in place to protect its participants from physical abuse, sexual abuse and other types of abuse and misconduct that can be harmful to youth hockey players. These include without limitation Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Screening, Locker Room Supervision and Hazing Policies, in addition to Codes of Conduct applicable to administrators, coaches, officials, parents, players and spectators. The USA Hockey SafeSport Handbook is intended to update and collect USA Hockey’s various policies to protect its youth participants from all types of misconduct and abuse. 

For more information click here.


Confict of Interest Policy

This conflict of interest policy is designed to help the directors, officers and Member Associations (“MA” or “member”) of the Rhode Island Amateur Hockey Association (d.b.a. RI Hockey) identify situations that present potential conflicts of interest and to provide RI Hockey with a procedure that, if observed, will allow a contract or transaction to be treated as valid and binding even though a director, officer or member has or may have a conflict of interest with respect to the contract or transaction. While contracts or transactions involving conflicts of interest are not prohibited, they must be considered by RI Hockey based on
disclosures as may be required by this policy. In the event there is an  inconsistency between the requirements and procedures prescribed herein and those in federal or state law, the law shall control.

I. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DEFINED – For purposes of this policy, the following circumstances shall be deemed a Conflict of Interest:

A. OUTSIDE INTERESTS (CLASS A CONFLICTS) – A “Class A” Conflict of Interest is defined as:

i. A contract or transaction between RI Hockey and a RI Hockey officer, director, member or close relative, as defined by section III hereof; or,

ii. A contract or transaction between RI Hockey and an entity in which an RI  Hockey officer, director, member or Close Relative thereof has a material financial interest (as defined in section III hereof) or of which such person is a director, officer, agent, partner, associate, trustee, personal representative, receiver, guardian, custodian, conservator, or other legal representative.

B. GIFTS, GRATUITIES, AND ENTERTAINMENT (CLASS B CONFLICTS) – A “Class B” Conflict of Interest is defined as a RI Hockey officer, director or member accepting gifts, entertainment, or other favors from any individual or entity that:

i. does or is seeking to do business with RI Hockey under circumstances where it might be reasonably inferred that such action was intended to influence or possibly would influence the RI Hockey officer, director or member in the performance of his or her duties; or,

ii. has received, is receiving, or is seeking to receive a grant, or to secure other financial considerations from RI Hockey under circumstances where it might be reasonably inferred that such action was intended to influence or possibly would influence the RI Hockey officer, director or member in the performance of his or her duties.

Nothing in this section precludes the acceptance of items of nominal or insignificant value or entertainment of nominal or insignificant value that are not related to any particular transaction or activity of RI Hockey.

II. PROCEDURES

A. PROCEDURE FOR CLASS A CONFLICTS

a. DISCLOSURE -

i. Before RI Hockey takes action on a contract or transaction involving a Class A Conflict of Interest, a RI Hockey officer, director, member or Close Relative thereof having a Conflict of Interest and who is in attendance at the meeting of the RI Hockey Executive Board (“Board”) shall disclose all facts material to the Conflict of Interest to Board (“Board”). Such disclosure shall be reflected in the minutes of the meeting.

ii. A RI Hockey officer, director, member or close relative thereof who plans not to attend a meeting of the Board at which he or she has reason to believe that the Board will act on a matter in which the person has a Conflict of Interest shall disclose to the President or his or her designated representative all facts material to the Conflict of Interest. The President or his or her designated representative shall report the disclosure at the meeting and the disclosure shall be reflected in the minutes of the meeting.

b. PARTICIPATION IN DISCUSSION - A person who has a Conflict of Interest shall not participate in the Board’s discussion of the matter except to disclose material facts and to respond to questions. Such person shall not attempt to exert his or her personal influence with respect to the matter, either at or outside the meeting.

c. PARTICIPATION IN VOTE – A person who has a Conflict of Interest may not vote on the contract or transaction. Such person’s ineligibility to vote shall be reflected in the minutes of the meeting.

d. VOTE – After being advised of the material facts relating to the Conflict of Interest, the contract or transaction shall be approved by the Board only upon the affirmative vote, in good faith, of a majority of all members of the Board so voting. The approval may be given before, after, or concurrently with the contract or transaction that involves the Conflict of Interest.

B. PROCEDURE FOR CLASS B CONFLICTS – The RI Hockey President shall take such action as he or she deems appropriate with respect to Class B Conflicts of Interest. Such action may include, but is not limited to, 1) noting the Conflict of Interest in the RI Hockey corporate records, 2) reporting the matter to the Board for its information only, or 3) referring the matter to the Board for review.

III. DEFINITIONS -

A. Close Relative - A close relative is a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, or spouse of a child, brother, sister, or spouse of a brother or sister, of a RI Hockey officer, director or member.

B. Material Financial Interest - A material financial interest in an entity is a financial interest of any kind that, in view of all the circumstances, is substantial enough that it would, or reasonably could, affect RI Hockey director’s, officer’s, member’s or close relative’s judgment with respect to contracts or transactions to which the entity is a party. This includes all forms of compensation.

C. Contract or Transaction - A contract or transaction is any agreement or relationship involving the sale or purchase of goods, services, or rights of any kind, the providing or receipt of a loan or grant, or the establishment of any other type of economic relationship with RI Hockey. The making of a gift to RI Hockey is not a contract or transaction as defined by this policy.


Record Retention Policy

It is the policy of Rhode Island Amateur Hockey Association (d.b.a. RI Hockey) to adhere to all applicable federal and state laws in the management and retention of the relevant legal, financial, or corporate documents of this organization. RI Hockey will maintain said records in accordance with applicable state and federal law. This policy is intended as a guide for RI Hockey’s officers, directors and members.


Whistleblower Policy

(Note: At the time of this writing RIAHA (d.b.a. RI Hockey) has no employees)

Policy: If any employee reasonably believes that some policy, practice, or activity of RI Hockey is in violation of law, a written complaint may be filed by that employee with the RI Hockey President.

It is the intent of RI Hockey to adhere to all laws and regulations that apply to the organization, and the underlying purpose of this Policy is to support the  organization’s goal of legal compliance. The support of all employees is necessary to achieving compliance with various laws and regulations. An employee is protected from retaliation only if the employee brings the alleged unlawful activity, policy, or practice to the attention of the RI Hockey President and provides him or her with a reasonable opportunity to investigate and correct the alleged unlawful activity. The protection described below is only available to employees that comply with this requirement.

RI Hockey will not retaliate against an employee who, in good faith, has made a protest or raised a complaint against some practice of RI Hockey, or of another individual or entity with whom RI Hockey had a business relationship, on the basis of a reasonable belief that the practice is in violation of law or a clear mandate of public policy.

RI Hockey will not retaliate against an employee who discloses or threatens to disclose to a supervisor or a public body any activity, policy, or practice of RI Hockey that the employee reasonably believes is in violation of a law, or a rule, or regulation mandated pursuant to law or is in violation of a clear mandate or public policy concerning health, safety, welfare, or protection of the environment.