Refunds will be granted only when there is a sound reason. A non-refundable processing fee of $5.00 will be applied to all refunds for in-house programs ($10.00 for traveling programs). No refunds will be granted after teams have been established.

Scholarships are available for children whose family incomes are below a certain level. If your family qualifies for the Department of Health and Human Services Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (welfare) or District 196 Free or Reduced Lunch Program you may qualify for a scholarship.

Rosemount Area Athletic Association Adult Volunteer Background Check Policy

Approved November 2015

In order to preserve the safety and well-being of youth participating in youth sport programs offered by Rosemount Area Athletic Association (RAAA), the Board of Directors hereby adopts the following policy applicable to all adult board members, program directors, program board members, coaches, assistant coaches, and officials.

1.General Information.

a. Initial Background Check.

Background checks are mandatory for all adult board members, program directors, program board members, coaches, assistant coaches, and officials (hereinafter referred to as a “Volunteer” and collectively referred to as “Volunteers”). All Volunteers are covered by the Volunteer Policy regardless of whether they receive compensation. Initially, all Volunteers will be required to undergo a national background check prior to the beginning of the sport, season or activity in which they intend to become involved.  For adult officials contracted through outside vendors, RAAA will strive to work with the outside vendors to ensure that contracted officials meet the same requirements as the Volunteers.

b. Validity Period.

Volunteers who continue to participate will be required to have a background check conducted every three (3) calendar years. In addition, RAAA reserves the right to conduct random background checks of Volunteers at any time prior to or during the sport, season or activity in which the volunteer is involved.

c. New Criminal Charges.

If an approved Volunteer subsequently has any criminal charges brought against him/her during the Volunteer’s term of service and such charges are listed in the disqualifications list (Section 3), the Volunteer shall immediately disclose the nature of the charges to the RAAA Board of Directors and the Volunteer may be disqualified until there is a resolution of the charges.

d. Informed Consent.

All Volunteers will be required to sign, either physically or electronically, an informed consent form allowing RAAA to order an individual criminal background check. Failure to complete the informed consent may disqualify the Volunteer from participation.

e. Background Check Fees.

RAAA pays for all fees associated with performing the background checks from the general fund.

2.Screening Process and Handling of Information.

a. Responsibilities.

• The RAAA Board of Directors will be responsible for selecting a reporting agency or method to conduct the background checks.

• The Registrar/Finance Manager will administer the process of the background checks.

• The Program Directors and/or Board Liaisons are responsible for ensuring compliance with this Policy within their respective programs.

• The RAAA Administrative Committee will be responsible for hearing and deciding any Volunteer Appeals, and will make the final determination on the matter.

b. Background Check Review.

The Registrar/Finance Manager reviews each released background check to determine if the results include any of the listed disqualifications.

c. Notification of Disqualification.

Upon a finding of a disqualifying offense, the RAAA Registrar/Finance Manager will notify the Volunteer via email.  In addition to informing the disqualified Volunteer, the Registrar/Finance Manager will inform the Program Director for the program the Volunteer had intended to participate in.

Until resolution of the matter, the Volunteer will not be allowed to participate in any RAAA program.

Under no circumstances will a Volunteer be considered if the Volunteer has been found guilty or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendre (no contest) of a crime that was one against children, involved violence, or was sexual in nature.

d. Volunteer Privacy.

When individual background checks are being reviewed and discussed with RAAA Administrative Committee, the meeting will be closed to the public. The meeting will be conducted with Minnesota’s open meeting laws as documented here http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/openmtg.pdf

Under no circumstances will the contents of any background check be shared with anyone who is not directly involved with reviewing or approving the Volunteer application.

3.Disqualification.

A Volunteer will be disqualified and prohibited from serving if the Volunteer has been found guilty of the offenses listed below. Guilty means the person was found guilty following a trial, entered a guilty plea, or entered a no contest plea, regardless of the adjudication or whether the record has been expunged. This Policy does not apply if the criminal charges resulted in acquittal or dismissal.

a. All felony and misdemeanor sexual offenses, regardless of the amount of time since the offense. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Child molestation, rape, sexual assault, sexual battery, statutory rape, prostitution, solicitation of prostitution, and indecent exposure

b. All other felony offenses, including property crimes, drug and alcohol crimes, and crimes against a person or an organization, regardless of the amount of time since the offense. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Murder, manslaughter, assault and battery, child endangerment or neglect, kidnapping, robbery, arson, burglary, felony drug possession and/or distribution, felony DUI, theft, fraud, and embezzlement

c. All misdemeanors that constitute offenses against a person or an organization within the past ten (10) years. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Assault and battery, child endangerment or neglect, domestic violence, theft, fraud, and embezzlement.

d. All misdemeanors that constitute offenses against a person within the past seven (7)

    years. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Simple assault and hit and run

e. All misdemeanor drug and alcohol offenses within the past five (5) years or multiple of such offenses in the past ten (10) years. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• Driving under the influence, simple drug possession, disorderly conduct, public intoxication and possession of drug paraphernalia

f. Any other offense within the past five (5) years that could be considered a potential danger       to children or demonstrates a propensity for violence.

Nothing in this policy shall be construed as a waiver or limitation of the discretion of the RAAA Board of Directors to disqualify a Volunteer where, in the sole opinion of RAAA, such is the interest of the youth participants.

4.Correcting Errors and Appealing Disqualification

The Volunteer is responsible for contacting the reporting agency and taking appropriate action to have the result of the background check report corrected if he or she believes information as reported is erroneous. RAAA, its volunteers, its employees and its Service Providers are not responsible for errors or omissions that may be reported on background checks.

Any Volunteer applicant who is disqualified may appeal the disqualification to the Administrative Committee of the RAAA Board of Directors, which has the sole authority to overturn the disqualification, if in the Committee’s complete discretion the Committee finds that, based upon demonstrable proof, under the circumstances, the offense resulting in disqualification does not, at the time of appeal, justify disqualification on the basis that the applicant would pose a risk of harm to children or others. The vote of the Committee regarding the appeal will be final. The Committee will meet to consider the appeal within forty-five (45) days of receipt of the appeal at which time the Volunteer applicant will have an opportunity to appear before the Committee along with the applicant’s representative.

The Committee shall render its decision on the appeal within five (5) business days of the hearing.

5. Appeal Process

If a Volunteer would like to appeal a disqualification determination, the Volunteer must submit an appeal request to the RAAA Registrar/Finance Manager via email within two (2) weeks of the Registrar/Finance Manager’s original email.

The appeal request must contain:

a. The full name and address of the Volunteer

b. The name and address of the person, if any, making the request for an appeal on behalf of the Volunteer (e.g. lawyer)

c. The grounds for the appeal (provide a detailed explanation of the Volunteer’s objections to the decision; describe additional factors or factual errors in the decision).

d. The particulars relevant to the appeal (describe any background facts that relate to

the appeal including how you are affected by the decision). 

Rosemount Area Athletic Association Concussion Certification Policy

Approved January 2014

In order to preserve the safety and well-being of youth participating in youth sport programs offered by Rosemount Area Athletic Association (RAAA), the Board of Directors hereby adopts the following policy applicable to all board members, program directors, program board members, coaches, assistant coaches, and officials.

1. General Information.

a. Background

Awareness of concussion and effects of concussion on players, especially youth players, has increased over the past decade. Medically, a concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury.  Because it is a brain injury, a concussion is not a visible injury, such as a broken arm. It requires time to heal properly, involving both physical and mental rest. Consequences may include loss of coordination or memory, vision problems, learning issues and changes in emotions and behavior.  A concussion may result from a direct blow to the head or from an indirect blow to the body that causes various forces to affect the brain within the skull. Signs and symptoms may appear immediately or may be noticed hours or days (or longer) later. There are a wide variety of symptoms which are possible. Loss of consciousness is not required to be diagnosed with a concussion. Adolescents require more time to recover from concussions than adults.

b. State law requirement.

The Minnesota Legislature passed legislation (MN Statute 121A.37 and 121A.38) in 2011 regarding youth athletes, concussions and return to play. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention has established the HEADS UP:  Concussion in Youth Sports program and tool kit to provide training to coaches, athletes and parents regarding concussions. The Minnesota statute requires any nonprofit organization that organizes a youth athletic activity for which a fee is charged to meet the requirements of the statute.  The statute specifically applies to participating coaches and officials. RAAA’s policy is that all volunteers and officials take the free online CDC training course.  The course takes approximately 30 minutes.  Alternative concussion training may be approved by RAAA’s Administrative Committee.

c. Validity Period.

Volunteers who continue to participate will be required to take the concussion training once every three (3) calendar years. Training for one program is applicable for all RAAA programs.

2. Process

   1. To access the concussion video, log onto the athletechs registration website at https://app.athletechs.com/myAccount

      1. Log onto your account with your user name and password

      2. Select your person profile under My Account

      3. Select Take Concussion Certification

      4. Select Launch Training Now

   2. Save a copy of the certificate for your records.  In order to save the certificate to your computer, you may need to print and re-scan the document so that it properly saves

   3. Enter evidence of your certification as indicated on the athletechs registration website

The provider has not defined their Positive Coaching Alliance policy. You should ask that they do.

(Approved by RAAA Board of Directors 2/2018)

Rosemount Area Athletic Association (RAAA) is committed to the principles of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA).  Therefore, we ask that you read and agree to follow these principles when registering your child: 

I/We will reinforce the “ELM Tree of Mastery” with my child (E for Effort, L for Learning, M for bouncing back from Mistakes).  Because I understand that a mastery approach will help my child succeed in sports and in life, I/We will:

*encourage my child to exert maximum Effort

*help my child Learn through sports

*urge my child to get past Mistakes 

I/We will set an example for my child by Honoring the Game, respecting ROOTS (Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates, and Self).  If I disagree with an official’s call, I will Honor the Game and be silent. 

I/We will engage in No Directions Cheering, limiting my comments during the game to encouraging my child and other players (from both teams). 

I/We will demand my athlete treat other players, coaches, officials and spectators with respect regardless of race, creed, color, sex or ability. 

I/We will use Self-Control to avoid losing my composure if I grow frustrated. 

I/We will refrain from negative comments about my child’s coach in my child’s presence so I do not negatively influence my child’s motivation and overall experience. 

I/We will respect the property and equipment used at any sports facility, both home and away.  

I/We will be as prompt as possible dropping my child off and picking my child up from practices and games.  I will inform the coach, within a reasonable amount of time, of any absence from a game or practice my athlete might incur due to sickness, planned vacation, or any other reason. 

I/We will inform the coach of any physical disability or ailment that may affect the safety of my athlete or the safety of others.  

I/We will demand a drug, alcohol and tobacco free environment for my athlete, and agree to assist by refraining from their use at all RAAA events home or away.  

I/We also agree that if I/we fail to abide by the aforementioned rules and guidelines, I/we may be subject to disciplinary action. This action could include, but is not limited to the following:

·         Verbal warning

·         Written warning

·         Parental game suspension

·         Parental season suspension

·         Parental disbarment

·         Player suspension

·         Player removal 

That these actions may not be necessarily taken in an escalated manner, and RAAA reserves the right to select and apply any penalty dependent on the situation. 

As a parent/guardian of a child involved in a Rosemount Area Athletic Association (RAAA) program, I/we agree to abide by and follow the rules and guidelines listed above. 

I/We agree to support and promote the philosophy of RAAA sports.