The following guidelines and procedures are established for our staff, volunteers and participants.  All members of Freestate are expected to observe and adhere to these guidelines.  Coaches, players, managers, club team officials, and volunteers that are registered through Freestate are expected to adhere to this policy.

 

 

Abuse of any kind is not permitted within our organization.  MSYSA does not tolerate physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse or misconduct from our players, coaches, officials, volunteers, parents or spectators. Physical and sexual abuse, including, but not limited to, striking, hitting, kicking, biting, indecent or wanton gesturing, lewd remarks, indecent exposure, unwanted physical contact, any form of sexual contact or inappropriate touching, are strictly prohibited within our organization. Emotional abuse or verbal abuse is also prohibited.  These include, but not limited to, making abusive statements in regard to a person’s race, gender, religion, nationality/ethnicity, sex or age. All coaches, officials, and volunteers are appointed through the registration process as protection advocates of this policy.  Every member is responsible for reporting any cases of questionalbe conduct or alleged mistreatment toward participants by any coach, official, volunteer, player, parent, sibling or spectator.

 

Freestate recommends that every activity sponsored by its member organizations put a BUDDY SYSTEM in place.  Each youth participant should be assigned a buddy during sponsored activites.  No child should go anywhere - to the bathroom, locker rooms, or other location, without his or her buddy.

 

To further protect youth participants, as well as the coaches, volunteers, and officials, we strongly recommend that no adult person allow himself/herself to be alone with a child during sponsored activities.

When traveling overnight with youth participants, children should be paired up with other children of same gender and similar age group, with chaperones in separate but nearby rooms. Children should be empowered to trust their feelings and let them know that their concerns and fears are important by listening to them.  Open communication between children and parents, or between children and other adults in the organization may help early warning signs of abuse to surface.

 

The Freestate board of directors and the risk management committee will respond quickly to any and all allegations of abuse within this organization.  This information will be communicated to the authorities for investigation and will be reviewed by the organization’s directors.  The alleged offender will be notified of such allegations promptly. Any person accused of sexual or physical abuse may be asked to resign voluntarily or may be suspended by the board until the matter is resoved.  Regardless of criminal or civil guilt in the alleged abuse, the continued presense of the person could be detrimental to the reputation of the organization and could be harmful to the participants.  A person who is accused but later cleared of charges, may apply to be reinstated within the organization.  Reinstatement is not a right, and no guarantee is made that he or she will be reinstated to his/her former position.

 

Our mission is to promote good sportsmanship throughout the organization and encourage qualities of mutual respect, courtesy and tolerance in all participants, coaches, officials and volunteers.  Children with a strong self-image may be less likely targets for abuse; and they may be less likely to abuse or bully others around them.