MODEL POLICY 2 : ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Mandatory Components
Electronic communication between an Adult Participant and Minor Athlete includes , but is not limited to , phone calls , video calls , text messages , social media platforms ’ direct messages ( e . g ., Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , WhatsApp , Snapchat , TikTok , etc .), fitness or other mobile device applications , emails , gaming platforms , and / or direct messaging . All electronic communications between an Adult Participant and a Minor Athlete must comply with the One-on-One Policy and must be open and transparent .
A . Open and transparent means that the Adult Participant copies or includes the Minor Athlete ’ s parent / guardian , another adult family member of the Minor Athlete , or another Adult Participant .
B . All electronic communication must be professional in nature .
C . Only platforms that allow for open and transparent communications may be used to communicate with Minor Athletes .
D . Communication platforms must be able to record or maintain the message .
E . If a Minor Athlete communicates with the Adult Participant first , the Adult Participant must either not respond or must include the Minor Athlete ’ s parent or guardian or another Adult Participant in the response .
F .
1 . If a Minor Athlete initiates communication with an Adult Participant for the purposes of seeking counsel or the Minor Athlete is in distress , the safety of the Minor Athlete and addressing the situation that initiated the contact must be the focus of the communication . The Adult Participant may want to document the communication for safety purposes . Adult Participants who are not trained or equipped to mitigate the situation at hand are advised to seek professional assistance .
Electronic communications to an entire team or any number of Minor Athletes on a team must include at least one other Adult Participant or the Minor Athletes ’ parents / guardians if any team member is a Minor Athlete .
G . Any communication between Adult Participants and Minor Athletes involving the following is prohibited :
1 . Drug or alcohol use ; 2 . Sexual content ; 3 . Explicit content ; or
4 . Adult Participant discussing their personal or social life outside of the |
professional |
environment |
( e . g ., discussing |
relationships |
or |
personal |
problems ). |
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USASF CODE OF CONDUCT AND COMPLIANCE 2024-2025 SEASON
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