WHAT IS SAFE SPORT? The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent, nonprofit organization committed to ending all forms of abuse in sports. This includes bullying, harassment, hazing, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual

misconduct and abuse. SafeSport requires all USA Swimming club members to have certain policies in place to ensure the team members and staff are informed of and follow the proper procedures in place for the club. The Safe Sport goal is to foster a fun, healthy, and safe environment all while preventing and responding to abuse and misconduct.

All member clubs are required to comply and implement USA Swimming’s Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy. Please read this information CAREFULLY as it pertains to athlete safety and contains important policy changes. The Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy changes pertain to team operations in a few key areas:

• Applicable Adults - Athlete members and non-member athletes ages 18 and older.
• One on One Interactions
• Communication - Social Media, Email, Phone Conversations, and Text Messages
• Team Travel: This includes travel to and from all team-related activities.
• USA Swimming Athlete Protection Training: All athlete members aged 18 and older. All non-athlete members ages 18 and older must take the training.
• IF YOU ARE AN 18 AND OLDER ATHLETE, YOU ARE AN APPLICABLE ADULT AND YOU MUST TAKE THE TRAINING. No exceptions.
• Applicable adults that do not take the training will become ineligible to participate with USA Swimming and SMAC. All practice and competitions will cease until you have completed the training.
• Once completed, please email Coach Dan and Coach Sydney your certificate of completion.

Applicable Adults: Who are Applicable Adults?

• 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.
• Athlete Protection Training: All athlete members ages 18 and up must take Athlete Protection Training. All non-athlete members must take the training. Athlete Protection Training is located here. Once completed, please email Coach Dan your certificate of completion.

Communication & One on One Interaction Policies

Observable and Interruptible: One-on-one interactions between a minor athlete and an Applicable Adult (who is not the minor’s legal guardian) will 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. Meetings: 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.

• In the event that a one-on-one meeting takes place, the door to the room will remain unlocked and open. If available, the meeting will occur in a room that has windows, with the windows, blinds, and/or curtains remaining open during the meeting.
• Meetings will not be conducted in an Applicable Adult or athlete’s hotel room or other overnight lodging location during team travel.
• 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:
• The door remains unlocked;
• Another adult is present at the facility;
• The other adult is advised that a closed-door meeting is occurring; and
• Written legal guardian consent is obtained in advance by the Mental Health Care Professional and/or Health Care Provider, with a copy provided to the club.
• 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 should observe the training session. Communication
• Content: All electronic communication from Applicable Adults to minor athletes must be professional in nature.
• 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 will be copied. If a minor athlete communicates to the Applicable Adult (with authority over the minor athlete) privately first, said Applicable Adult will 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.
• Requests to Discontinue: Legal guardians may request in writing that their minor athlete not be contacted through any form of electronic communication by the club, LSC or by an Applicable Adult subject to this Policy. SMAC will abide by any such request that the minor athlete not be contacted via electronic communication absent emergency circumstances.
• Prohibited Electronic Communication: Applicable Adults with authority over minor athletes will NEVER 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” the club and/or LSC’s official page.
• Applicable Adults with authority over minor athletes will NEVER send private, instant or direct messages to a minor athlete through social media platforms.

Locker Room Procedures

At our club, we take locker room monitoring and misconduct very seriously to ensure a safe and respectful environment for everyone. Our procedure includes regular supervision by trained staff and clearly posted guidelines on acceptable behavior. Any instances of misconduct are promptly addressed, with a clear process for reporting and investigating complaints. Both swimmers and parents are held to the same standards and are expected to follow the guidelines equally. Consequences for violations are applied consistently, regardless of who is involved, to maintain fairness and integrity within our community.

Team Travel

Local Travel: Local travel consists of travel to training, practice, and competition that occurs locally and does not include coordinated overnight stay(s). Carpool drivers are considered applicable adults.

• 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.
• Legal guardians must pick up their minor athlete first and drop off their minor athlete last in any shared or carpool travel arrangement.

Locker Rooms & Changing Areas

• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Monitoring: The club will regularly and randomly monitor the use of locker rooms and changing areas to ensure compliance with the above policies. Locker rooms and changing areas may be monitored by use of the following methods:
• Conducting a sweep of the locker room or changing area before athletes arrive.
• Posting staff directly outside the locker room or changing area during periods of use.
• Leaving the doors open when adequate privacy is still possible and/or
• Making occasional sweeps of the locker rooms or changing areas with women checking on female locker rooms and men checking on male locker rooms.
• 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 only enter to assist their child. The Waynesville Rec Center has locker rooms designated for families- Mothers assisting sons or Fathers assisting daughters. These should only be used when a swimmer requires assistance from an opposite sex legal guardian.

Safe Sport Policy and Bullying Action Plan

Bullying is prohibited. For the purposes of the Code of Conduct, the term “Bullying” shall mean, regardless of when or where it may occur, the severe or repeated use by one or more team members (“Members”) of an 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 Memberʼs 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 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).

Bullying Repercussions:

• 1st Instance – Immediate meeting with the athlete. A Subsequent meeting with parent(s) of athlete, and discussion on how to stop this from occurring in the future; written documentation from all parties as to the nature of the bullying.
• 2nd Instance – Immediate 2 week suspension from ALL team activities. Written report of incident from all parties, along with the report being placed in the athleteʼs personal file.
• 3rd Instance – Immediate permanent removal from ALL team activities. Athlete and parents will be notified via email, phone, and/or postal mail of the removal. A formal hearing will be set to discuss the reinstatement of the athlete. The hearing will be held with the parents, athlete, SMAC Board Members, and the Head Coach. The SMAC Board of Directors will make the final determination.

This policy shall be in effect immediately, and will remain in effect until SMAC deems unnecessary.

This policy is in addition to the Code of Conduct policies already established by SMAC.