All participants in the Trumbull Youth Lacrosse program, including players, parents, coaches, spectators, and referees, are expected to behave according to the Trumbull Youth Lacrosse Code of Conduct (available on the TYL website). Along the same lines, it is expected that any conflicts that arise between participants will be resolved by applying both the letter and the spirit of the Code of Conduct, keeping in mind that the adult members of the program are viewed by the younger members as leaders, role models, and problem solvers.
The TYL Board recognizes, however, that there may be rare instances when these conflicts cannot be satisfactorily resolved directly by the parties to the dispute or through the informal intervention of another program member. For those infrequent situations the Board has instituted a formal Grievance Procedure. All members should be aware that the Grievance Procedure IS NOT a substitute for direct conflict resolution between the parties; it is a secondary procedure to be employed only in the unlikely event that the parties cannot amicably and responsibly resolve their dispute through direct communication.
1. A grievance may be lodged by any member of the TYL program for any suspected violation of the TYL Code of Conduct or for any suspected violation of local, state or federal law.
2. A valid grievance must be in writing, using the TYL Grievance Form (attached), and must explain the nature of the grievance, the circumstances surrounding the alleged violation, and the specific provision(s) of the Code of Conduct alleged to have been violated. The person filing the grievance must also identify all witnesses or other persons with knowledge of the alleged violation.
3. A valid grievance must be signed by a parent, coach or player and submitted to the appropriate program Vice President (i.e., Girls or Boys).
a. If the appropriate Vice President has any involvement alleged incident the Trustees of the TYL Board will select a replacement from Participating Board members
4. No grievance will be accepted from any person who fails to file the written grievance within two weeks of the incident in question.
5. No grievance will be accepted from any person who himself or herself has not complied with the Code of Conduct.
6. No grievance will be accepted prior to the completion of a 48-hour “cooling off” period following the alleged incident.
7. No grievance will be accepted that seeks to challenge a coaching decision. For purposes of this provision, a coaching decision includes, but is not limited to, travel team selection, playing time, position assignments, starting assignments and lacrosse strategy.
7. Details of the grievance are not to be discussed with anyone other than the party(ies) directly involved with resolving the grievance.
8. Upon receipt, the program Vice President will review the grievance and determine that all criteria for filing a grievance have been met.
9. If the grievance is accepted, the Vice President will thoroughly investigate the incident and attempt to resolve the grievance with the parties amicably.
10. In the event that the Vice President or named replacement is unable to resolve the grievance to the satisfaction of the parties, the grievance will be turned over to the Trustees of the TYL Board.
11. The Trustees will evaluate the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged Code of Conduct violation, conduct any further investigation deemed necessary, and issue a final decision for resolving the grievance.
12. Decisions by the Trustees are final and will be communicated in writing to the grieving party(ies).
14. It is anticipated that the process will take between two to three weeks from the time the grievance is filed to the time a final decision is rendered by the Trustees, assuming all parties are prompt and forthcoming in providing the necessary information. In the event of concern for physical safety, a more expedited process will be implemented.
TRUMBULL YOUTH LACROSSE
GRIEVANCE FORM
1. Date of incident: ______________ Approx. time: ____________
2. Location of incident: ________________________________________________________
3. Teams/Clubs present: ________________________________________________________
4. Person/(s) initiating grievance: _________________________________________________
5. Contact # for person initiating grievance:
(home) _______________
(cell) _____________
(e-mail) _____________
6. Person(s) against whom grievance is initiated: ________________________________________________________________________
7. Description of incident (include specific Code of Conduct provision yiolated):
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Witness(es):____________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. Were the Police called? ____ No ____ Yes If yes, explain: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Other pertinent information:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11. Signature(s) of person(s) filing the grievance:
___________________________________Date:_________________
___________________________________Date:_________________