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Abuse / Molestation Risk Management Program

Baseball Nation has adopted and will implement the following risk management elements:

Criminal Background Checks: Checks will be run with Protect Youth Sports on all paid and volunteer staff with access to youth. Any background check that indicates that a potential staff member or volunteer is unfit to work with youth will result in disqualification of such individual.

Background are completed for any/all Baseball Nation coaches or volunteers on the field (practice and/or games).

Disqualification Criteria:

  • Ever found to be guilty of:
    • All sex offenses including child molestation, rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, sodomy, prostitution, solicitation, indecent exposure
    • All felony violence including murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated burglary
  • Found to be guilty within the past 10 years of all felony offenses other than violence or sex including drug offenses, theft, embezzlement, fraud, child endangerment
  • Found to be guilty within the past 7 years of all misdemeanor violence offenses including simple assault, battery, domestic violence, hit & run
  • Found to be guilty of multiple offenses within the past 5 years of misdemeanor drug and alcohol offenses including driving under the influence, simple drug possession, drunk and disorderly, public intoxication, possession of drug paraphernalia
  • Any other misdemeanor within the past 5 years that would be considered a potential danger to children or is directly related to the functions of the staff member or volunteer including contributing to the delinquency of a minor, providing alcohol to a minor, theft – if volunteer is handling funds

Guilty means the applicant was found guilty following a trial, entered a guilty plea, entered a no contest plea accompanied by the court’s finding of guilty, regardless of whether there was an adjudication of guilt (conviction) or a withholding of guilt.  This policy does not apply if criminal charges resulted in acquittal, dismissal or in an entry of “nolle prosequi.”

Should any of the pending charges described above be uncovered, or should any of the above charges be brought against an applicant during the season, the applicant will be suspended from serving until the charges have been cleared or dropped and Baseball Nation has approved reinstatement.

Warning Signs Of Abuse / Molestation

Attitudes/behaviors expressed on the part of an adult that may be associated with inappropriate or abusive behavior (racist, poor sense of athlete development, raging temper, extremely controlling, jealous, hypersensitive, poor sexual boundaries, bullying, intimidating manner, unrealistic or inappropriate training practices and risks, etc.)

  • Unexplained/unlikely explanation of injuries
  • Extreme fear of a coach or volunteer
  • Extreme low self-esteem, self-worth
  • A child’s attachment to a coach/staff/volunteer to the point of isolation from others’
  • A coach/staff with an interest beyond caring concerns, special interest in a child (time, gifts, attention, obsession, unrealistic expectations)
  • A child’s desire to drop out without a clear explanation, or without one that makes sense
  • A child that misses a lot of practices or games with suspicious explanations or excuses

Policies To Protect Against

  • Limit one on one contact between a single unrelated child and adult by use of buddy system where two adults are always present
  • Prohibition of overnight sleepovers
  • Touch is acceptable only if it is “respectful and appropriate”
  • Inappropriate comments of a sexual nature and suggestive jokes are prohibited
  • Take home/pick up of athletes by a coach/volunteer/staff is strongly discouraged because of difficulty in limiting one on one contact

What Is Required In Event Of An Allegation

  • Appropriate league official and police should be immediately contacted. Police will handle investigation.
  • Coach/volunteer/staff member will be immediately suspended or reassigned to alternative duties that don’t involve access to youth pending the outcome of the police investigation
  • Baseball Nation will not comment on the allegation or police investigation until it has been concluded