October 6, 2010
SUGGESTED PROVISIONS FOR ASSOCIATION OR TEAM LOCKER ROOM MONITORING RULES AND POLICIES
Background: In June 2010 the USA Hockey Board of Directors with a nearly unanimous vote adopted a policy mandating locker room monitoring for all USA Hockey youth teams, including teams of all USA Hockey affiliates. The policy originated with the Coaching Section and the Risk Management Committee, and was supported by the Legal Council. The which is in USA Hockey 2010-11 Annual Guide, p. 35. reads as follows:
E. LOCKER ROOM SUPERVISION
USA Hockey is concerned with locker room activities between minor players;
minor players and adult players; adults being alone with individual minor players
in locker rooms; and with non-official or non-related adults having unsupervised
access to minor participants at sanctioned team events.
It is the policy of USA Hockey that all affiliates, districts, leagues, and local
hockey programs have at least one responsible adult present directly monitoring
the locker room during all team events to assure that only participants (coaches
and players), approved team personnel and family members are permitted in the
locker room and to supervise the conduct in the locker room. Any individual
meetings with a minor participant and a coach in a locker room shall require a
responsible adult be with the coach. Further, responsible adults must personally monitor the locker
room environment at all times while participants are present and also make sure the
locker room is appropriately secured during times when minor participants are on
the ice. Teams, leagues and local hockey associations shall also comply with the USA
Hockey Co-Ed locker room policy.
The details of how to implement the rule were left to the affiliates and the teams to determine.
Suggested Policies and Rules: This policy has given rise to numerous questions and possible interpretations. The CHC Hockey District Directors recommend that the rules adopted by each local association or team include the following provisions:
1. The “responsible adult” can be the coach, but it might be more practical to add the team manger and/or selected team parents. Coaches have many tasks, and are not always in the locker room. Suggest choosing several parents to be certain every team event is covered.
2. “Responsible adults” should be of sufficient maturity (an early twenty- something is not mature enough to supervise a bantam locker room).
3. The locker room monitors should be carefully chosen, and understand that their role is strictly supervision of the locker room. The non-coach locker room monitors are not coaches and should not attempt to be such.
4. The locker room monitors must be gender correct.
5. “All team events” means both games and practices, and monitoring is required whenever players are in the locker room. The staff must come early and stay late.
6. At a minimum the locker room monitors’ specific duties should include:
a. Responsibility for locker room security, including allowing only team- authorized persons to enter the room and locking the room when the team is on the ice. Responsibility for the locker room key.
b. Collecting and safeguarding any cell phones or other recording devices brought by players.
c. Being in the locker room at all times when a coach is in the room with a single player.
