Social Media & Electronic Communication

a. Application

This policy shall apply to:

1) Adult members who have regular contact with amateur athletes who are minors;

2) Any adult authorized by a Covered Organization to have regular contact with or authority over an amateur athlete who is a minor; and

3) Adult staff and board members at a Covered Organization.

(Collectively “Applicable Adult” for the purposes of this policy.)

b. Content

All electronic communication originating from Applicable Adults to minor athletes must be professional in nature.

c. Open and transparent

• Absent emergency circumstances, if an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes needs to communicate directly with a minor athlete via electronic communications (including social media), another Applicable Adult or the minor’s legal guardian will be copied.

• If a minor athlete communicates to the Applicable Adult (with authority over the minor athlete) privately first, said Applicable Adult should respond to the minor athlete with a copy to another Applicable Adult or the minor’s legal guardian.

• When an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes communicates electronically to the entire team, said Applicable Adult will copy another adult.

• Minor athletes may “friend” the organization’s official page.

d. Requests to discontinue

Legal guardians may request in writing that their minor athlete not be contacted through any form of electronic communication by the organization or by the Applicable Adults subject to this policy. The organization will abide by any such request that their minor athlete not be contacted via electronic communication, absent emergency circumstances.