PAC ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS BULLYING
Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and Panther Aquatic Club will not tolerate it. Bullying is counterproductive to team spirit and can be devastating to a victim. PAC is committed to providing a safe, caring and friendly environment for all of our swimmers. If bullying does occur, all athletes and parents should know that incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively.
PAC’s Bullying Policy and Action Plan:
- To be clear, PAC will not tolerate bullying in any form.
- PAC expressly prohibits any form of bullying behavior at the pool; at a team-related activity, function or program, whether on deck; in the locker room; at school; or through the use of an electronic or electronic mobile device.
- Actions will be taken if bullying issues arise.
- Anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to inform a Coach and/or Aquatic Supervisor in a timely manner.
- PAC takes bullying seriously and promises that all swimmers and parents will be supported if bullying is reported.
WHAT IS BULLYING?
Bullying is the use of aggression, whether intentional or not, which hurts another person. Bullying results in pain and distress, either physical or emotional.
Bullying is the severe or repeated use of words or expressions, either spoken, written or made by electronic device, regardless of when or where it may occur, directed to a member or non-member of this team.
Bullying is the physical act or gesture which may cause physical or emotional harm to a member or non-member of this team, or their belongings.
Bullying may be interpreted differently depending on the victim; no kind of bullying is tolerated.
REPORTING PROCEDURE
An athlete who feels that he or she has been bullied is asked to do one or more of the following things:
- Talk to your parents;
- Talk to, or write a letter or email to, the Club Coach, Aquatic Supervisor or Board Member;
- If possible, try to include proof of bullying behavior such as texts or emails, or provide names of teammates who may have witnessed the behavior.
- There is no express time limit to initiate a report however every effort should be made to bring any concern to team leadership in a timely manner so actions may be taken as soon as possible.
HOW PAC HANDLES BULLYING
If bullying is occurring during team-related activities, it will be stopped on the spot:
If bullying is occurring on our team or if it is reported to be occurring on our team outside of the pool, PAC will address the reported bullying promptly by finding out what happened and supporting the children involved.
PAC will find out what happened by getting the facts from several sources, both swimmers and adults, including the history between the children involved and any past situations.
Parents will be notified.
PAC will address bullying behavior by ensuring that all involved understand that the behavior is bullying and will not be not be tolerated; by making subtle changes to practices in order to mitigate further situations; by encouraging apologies and assurances that such behavior will end.
Incidents will be dealt with by case-by-case interventions to address repeated incidents of
bullying or recurrent bullying incidents by the same individual.
If, despite coach intervention, bullying behavior does not end, PAC will initiate conversations with the parents of the accused bully(s) in an effort to put an end to the behavior. Should all else fail, these conversations will include the question of whether the bully is a suitable member for our program.
