Bully Prevention Code of Conduct

Due to the pervasiveness of bullying in sports, Whistler Sea Wolves Swim Club takes a no-nonsense approach to all bullying behavior and ALL members will be held accountable for their behavior. 

The Definition of Bullying is:

• Targeting an individual or group with repetitive and intentional negative actions.

• When one person has more power over others and those being targeted feel they are unable to defend themselves.

• When the person being targeted feels alone, afraid, or unwelcome in the organization.

Types of Bullying

• Physical Aggression: pushing, grabbing, hitting, pinching, spitting, tripping, etc. Also includes destroying property and threatening.

• Social Alienation: gossiping, spreading rumours, intentionally excluding from a group.

• Verbal Aggression: name Calling, put downs, swearing, screaming or yelling at a person.

• Intimidation: threatening others to do something, threatening with a weapon.

• Sexual Harassment: any comments or actions of a sexual nature that are unwelcome and make the recipient uncomfortable. Any words written or spoken, or action taken, that ridicules a person’s gender, sexual orientation, or gender identification.

• Racial/Ethnic/Religious Harassment: offensive comments, jokes or behaviours that disparage or ridicule a person’s race, ethnic, or religious background.

• Cyber Bullying: using technology to frighten, embarrass, exclude or damage another person’s reputation.  Can include emails, chat rooms, photographs, social media, text messages, etc.

Policies and Procedures

Bullying will not be tolerated at the WSWSC: the above definition and types of bullying fall under this portion of the Code of Conduct.  If it is determined that repeated and intentional disrespectful and negative behaviour is occurring, the following steps will be taken:

Please note, depending on the severity of the incident, a formal investigation involving the Board of Directors may commence immediately and steps may be skipped possibly resulting in immediate suspension or expulsion from the sport organization. 

Steps in dealing with athletes who display bullying behaviour:

Step 1:  The athlete(s) primary coach will meet separately with the athlete(s) named as displaying the bullying behaviour. The coach will review the code of conduct with the athlete(s) and the parent(s) will be notified.  If it is determined the athlete is in violation of the code, the athlete will be instructed to stop the behaviours and the coach will determine an appropriate consequence. Primary coach will document the incident and forward the report to the Harassment Officer. If the initial complaint brought forward is serious or complex in nature, Step 1 may be omitted at the discretion of the coach and proceedings will start at Step 2 below.

Step 2:  If step one is not successful in resolving the issue or mitigating the problem, an officer of the Board of Directors will start investigation procedures.  The Primary Coach, member of the Board of Directors, parent (s), and possibly the athlete(s) will meet in person and each participant will sign a formal Confidentiality Agreement.  The Code of Conduct will be reviewed and an appropriate consequence will be determined.  The athlete and parents will be notified that a subsequent incident will result in a formal meeting with the Board of Directors and Head Coach. The incident will be formally documented and filed with the Harassment Officer.

Step 3:  If the harassment/bullying issue is not resolved, Head Coach, Primary Coach,  Board of Directors, parent (s) and athlete(s) will have a formal meeting initiated by the Head Coach.  Consequences are given and FINAL WARNING is issued.  The next step is a meeting with the Board of Directors to determine suspension or removal from the organization.  The meeting is documented and filed with the Board of Directors.

Step 4:  Athlete is suspended or removed from the organization and the suspension or removal process is documented and filed with the Main Office Filing System.

At any Step, the police may become involved due to the severity of the incident. 

IMPORTANT:  In the event that a bullying complaint is made and/ or an investigation is required, whether it be for an athlete, parent, coach, or other member of the sporting organization, only those involved in the investigation will be advised of the complaint outcome.  Parties to the incident will be interviewed individually by the investigator, along with anyone else who may be able to provide relevant information.  Confidentiality Agreements will be contracts used to minimize gossip, hearsay or the spread of misinformation within the sporting community.

• Retaliation against any individual for reporting an incident under this Code is a violation of this policy and will not be tolerated. Any retaliatory action should be reported immediately to the Board of Directors

• Similarly, a false accusation is a serious matter. A person making a false statement may face serious consequences.

• If an incident of high severity occurs, it is up to the Board of Directors and the Head Coach as to whether steps can be skipped and/or an individual is removed immediately from the organization. Incidents of high severity would include: breaking the law, inflicting physical injury, sharing of sexual images on-line, exploitation of a minor, and others. 

• At any point in the process of a complaint, the police may become involved depending on the severity and/or nature of the complaint.

We agree to abide by this Code of Conducted, dated this ________ day of _____________, 20 .

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Athlete name

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Athlete signature

*This form must be signed and submitted by _________________ (date).