LOCKER ROOM MONITORING POLICY

PURPOSE

The following guidelines are designed to maintain personal privacy as well as to reduce the risk of misconduct in locker rooms and changing areas.

FACILITIES

The following is a description of our practice and competition facilities to allow athletes and their families to plan their use:

We practice at: High Blue Wellness Center in Belton MO, Longview Recreation Center in Lee’s Summit and Henley Aquatic Center in Independence MO.

These locations have: A changing area that is shared with the general public. As such there are likely to be people who are not associated with Riptide Aquatics in the changing area around the time of practice. All locations also have family changing areas, which are both available to Riptide Aquatic athletes and the general public.

MONITORING

General Policy Considerations

Coaches and staff make every effort to recognize when an athlete goes to the locker room or changing area during practice and competition, and if they do not return in a timely fashion, will check on the athlete’s whereabouts.

Riptide Aquatics does not allow parents to enter locker rooms or changing areas at any of our locations. If an athlete needs assistance with his or her uniform or gear (e.g., a child of a young age), or an athlete’s disability warrants assistance, then we ask that parents use the available family changing areas, to allow privacy to both them and the other athletes. If family changing areas are not available, coaches or staff will assist in finding the most appropriate time to utilize the locker room.

Riptide Aquatics Locker Room Policy

Riptide Aquatics has predictable and limited use of locker rooms and changing areas (e.g., immediately before and following practices and swim meets). This allows for direct and regular monitoring of the locker room areas. A designated monitor will conduct a sweep of the locker rooms and changing areas before athletes arrive, and will be present in the locker rooms and changing areas at the end of practice. The designated monitor will be gender appropriate in correspondence with the appropriate locker room, female in female locker rooms and changing areas, and male in male locker rooms and changing areas.

USE OF CELL PHONES AND OTHER MOBILE RECORDING DEVICES

Cell phones and other mobile devices with recording capabilities, including voice recording, still cameras, and video cameras increase the risk for different forms of misconduct in locker rooms and changing areas. The USA Swimming Athlete Protection Policies prohibit the use of such devices in the locker room or other changing area:

            305.3 Use of audio or visual recording devices, including a cell phone camera, is not allowed in changing areas, restrooms or locker rooms.