USASF Professional Responsibility Code 2019-2020 9.0 | Page 34

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that owners, coaches and other adult members of the All Star
community are not joined to or connected through their personal
Facebook page or any other similar social media application. To
facilitate communication, an official organization or team page
may be set up and participants and parents may join (i.e., “friend”,
“follow” or “like”) the official organization or team page and coaches
can communicate to participants though that site. All electronic
communication of any kind between coach and participant, including
use of social media, must be non-personal in nature and be for the
purpose of communicating information about team activities or for
team oriented motivational purposes.
Personal Social Media Sites
An adult affiliated with a program may have a personal social media
page or site, with the following restrictions regarding athletes:
1. May not invite or allow an athlete to “friend” or join a personal
social media site or similar online community that is not
observable or open to the minor’s parent as well.
2. May not “private” or “instant” message athletes.
3. Must inform parents and athletes that the above is not
permitted.
4. It is recommended that adults make their pages “private” to
restrict athlete access.
5. Social media accounts that allow an athlete to “friend” or
“follow” or have no privacy restrictions may only have posts that
are appropriate for minors to view.
EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGING AND SIMILAR
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
Owners, coaches, team parents and participants may use email
and text messaging to communicate. All email and text message
content between coaches/team parents and participants must be
non-personal in nature and be for the purpose of communicating
information about team activities. Emails and text messages from a
coach to any minor participant that are not related team activities
must include a copy to the participant’s parents. Where possible, a
coach should be provided and use the organization website email
center (the coach’s return email address will contain “@organization.
com”) for all communications with the team, participants, and
participants’ parents, where applicable.
Request to Discontinue All Electronic Communications or
Imagery with Athlete
Following receipt of a written request by the parents of a minor
participant that their child not be contacted through any form of
electronic communication by coaches or other adults in the program,
the program, team, coaches and administrators shall immediately
comply with such request without any repercussions for such request.
Any adult member may not directly message a minor athlete
participant unless the minor athlete is a member of their program.
All contact must be initiated to the parent, adult owner or adult
coach.
Abuse and Misconduct
Social media and other means of electronic communication can be used
to commit abuse and misconduct (e.g., emotional, sexual, bullying,
harassment, and hazing). Such communications by any employee,
volunteer, independent contractor or other participant of a U.S. All Star
Federation Member Program will not be tolerated and are considered
violations of U.S. All Star Federation’s SafeSport Program.
Reporting infractions of U.S. All Star Federation’s Electronic
Communications Policy should be reported to the appropriate person
as described in the Professional Responsibility Code V8.0.
A U.S. All Star Federation participant or parent of a participant who
violates this Electronic Communications Policy is subject to appropriate
disciplinary action including but not limited to suspension, permanent
suspension and/or referral to law enforcement authorities.
All content must adhere to the U. S. All Star Federation Code of
Conduct and the Professional Responsibility Code V8.0 regarding
the protection of athletes. Non-Compliance with the Professional
Responsibility Code is subject to disciplinary hearing and potential
penalties.