As we approach this upcoming season we want EVERYONE  to understand that any racial harassment has ZERO TOLERANCE.. 

Racial Harassment (Racism) Treating a person differently because of his/her color, racial or ethnic background.

Examples:  Making jokes, insinuations, humiliating comments or racially oriented remarks criticizing and being intolerant of differences: accents, clothing, hairdo, customs and beliefs.

Harassment is offensive behavior: it involves discrimination against a person because of their race, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, sex/gender or disability. 

Dealing with harassment can sometimes be difficult as what is viewed as harassment by one person may be viewed as a “joke” by another person.

With that being said, The safety of its participants is of paramount importance to USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey.  This includes off and on the ice safety in any part of Minnesota Hockey’s programs. The USA Hockey SafeSport Program is intended to protect all participants, not just players, from any type of misconduct or abuse.  

By pulling together existing USAH on and off ice safety policies related behavior and hockey environment management, constructing a supervision and monitoring structure, creating a reporting, investigatory, and response system, production of education and awareness training materials, and enhancing participant screening, USAH has taken giant steps towards improving off and on the ice safety.

USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for abuse and misconduct. Through the USA Hockey SafeSport Program, USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey are committed to creating the safest possible environment for participation in hockey.
For the complete USA Hockey SafeSport Handbook, click forms/presentations/handbooks below..

I will be your resource to help create and foster a positive SafeSport culture within your Association.  If you have any questions day, night or weekends please contact me.. I am looking forward to a positive and successful season.

**Please read D6 Policies, Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws**Pages 2-3 regarding important SafeSport information.

ASK YOURSELF??? 

Would you leave fifteen 12-year old kids in your home without supervision? The presence of adults in the locker rooms is critical to maintaining a safe and positive environment. Over the past five years it has become clear that more than half of all SafeSport incidents reported each year occur in locker rooms. In all but a few cases, there was no locker room monitor present. Whenever players are present in the locker room, there must be at least one screened and SafeSport trained adult present either in the locker room or near the door (within arm’s length and so the monitor can sufficiently hear inside the locker room), frequently checking and communicating with the players so they understand they are being monitored. Coaches can act as locker room monitors, however, we strongly encourage volunteer parents to fill this role to enable the coaches to focus on game or practice planning and preparation. The prevention of hazing, bullying, harassment, or other inappropriate behaviors in addition to physical harm caused by horseplay, can be lessened by following some fundamental strategies by clicking the link below and hitting quick reference guides.

ALSO NOTE:  It is the Associations responsibility to have locker room monitors present during tryouts.  I know most Associations DO NOT allow parents in the arena during tryouts.  However,  there needs to be a screened adult present during that time.   That goes for out of town games and tournaments as well.

Each locker room in your arena MUST have the appropriate SafeSport notice posted outside EACH door.

Grooming is the process by which an offender draws a victim into a relationship and maintains that relationship in secrecy. The shrouding of the relationship is an essential feature of grooming.  The grooming offender works to separate the victim from peers, typically by engendering in the child a sense that they are special to the child and giving a kind of love to the child that the child needs.

Different law enforcement officers and academics have proposed models of the "stages" of grooming. Since there are a variety of these models, it's best to think of the grooming by sex offenders as a gradual, calculated process that ensnares children into a world in which they are ultimately a willing part of the sex abuse.  See the entire document by clicking "what is grooming?".

SafeSport Coordinators are important and necessary for each association.  Always remember, regardless of the validity of the complaint, handle it when possible as a means of accomplishing the following goals by reasonably assisting the complaint towards a satisfactory conclusion. View it as an opportunity and not as a task.

1. Stop the abuse
2. Stop the abuse from recurring
3. Protect the victim
4. Sanction the abuser
5. Create customer satisfaction
6. Limit liability
7. Limit or avoid bad publicity
8. Preserve the integrity of SafeSport
9. Preserve the integrity of your Association
10. Educate-use as a learning tool

Here is some GREAT information on how to handle a SafeSport complaint step by step.  You can also file a report online by clicking the MN Hockey SafeSport link above.   If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime!

ATTENTION COACHES:  BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE GOOD FOR TWO YEARS FOR COACHES AND VOLUNTEERS!

DO NOT COMPLETE THIS MORE THAN ONCE IN A SINGLE SEASON.  Screening is taking longer than usual due to a new vendor.  This process cannot be hurried as it is out of our control.  

**Note:  Please be sure to complete the background check that is relevant to your position in the organization.  Coaches MUST complete the COACHES ONLY check.  All others MUST complete the screening for ALL OTHER PERSONNEL. Volunteers who serve in multiple roles MUST complete the COACH screening only if they will be a coach**

Certificates of completion from the Team USA site are no longer available.  Neither USA Hockey nor the US Center for SafeSport has access to certificates or completion codes from the Team USA site.   

If you need a copy of your certificate, you will need a PDF viewer like Adobe Reader in order to save and print it. Certificates of completion cannot be downloaded on tablets or mobile devices.

1. Log in on website https://www.safesport.org/authentication/signin
2. Click on Menu
3. Click on SafeSport Trained
4. Click on the green Certificate button
5. Save and print certificate

The SafeSport Training and Refresher Training are each valid for one (1) season beginning on 4/1/19.  Please Note: if you took the training during the 2018-19 season, it is still valid for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

As of January 1, 2018, all relevant individuals who need to be SafeSport certified or are seeking recertification will need to complete the new SafeSport training, which features updated content. 

Once you have completed the Core SafeSport Course, there will be a Refresher Course available for individuals who have previously completed the core SafeSport course and need to recertify. Users completing the SafeSport refresher course will be certified for an additional season.

PLEASE NOTE that you will need your own USA Hockey Confirmation Number or Referee Number and your own email address to access the training.  You can locate your number OR obtain a number here www.usahockeyregistration.com.  If you will not be participating as a player, coach or referee, you can register at no cost under the ice manager/volunteer category to obtain your USA Hockey Confirmation Number. 

Additionally you will need to access the training from the link provided under "Register for SafeSport Training." 

parent's Guide to Misconduct in Sports:

If you are a parent looking for resources on keeping your athlete safe, you can access the Parent Training at no cost. Simply create an account at www.athletesafety.org, add the parent training to your bag, and you'll be able to access the training.

Our Parent's Guide to Misconduct in Sport is designed for the parents of athletes of all ages. This course explains the issues of misconduct in sport and helps parents ensure their children have a positive and safe sport experience.