Volunteer Code of Conduct

It is the goal of Sandpoint Little League to provide a safe, fun and enjoyable environment for our children to play and learn the game of baseball and softball. It should be the primary objective of every Board Member, Manager, Coach and Parent to ensure that this goal is achieved and maintained in our League. In order to ensure that goal the Sandpoint Little League Board has adopted the following guidelines.

The board of directors of Sandpoint Little League has mandated the following Code of Conduct. All coaches and managers will read this Code of Conduct and agree to it acknowledging that he or she understands and agrees to comply with the Code of Conduct.

Sandpoint Little League Code of Conduct

No Board Member, Manager, Coach, Player or Spectator shall:

• At any time, lay a hand upon, push, shove, strike, or threaten to strike an official.
• Be guilty of heaping personal verbal or physical abuse upon any official for any real or imaginary belief of a wrong decision or judgment.
• Be guilty of an objectionable demonstration of dissent at an official’s decision by throwing of gloves, helmets, hats, bats, balls, or any other forceful unsportsmanlike-like action.
• Be guilty of using unnecessarily rough tactics in the play of a game against the body of an opposing player.
• Be guilty of a physical attack upon any board member, official manager, coach, player or spectator.
• Be guilty of the use of profane, obscene or vulgar language in any manner at any time.
• Appear on the field of play, stands, or anywhere on the SLL complex while in an intoxicated state at any time. Intoxicated will be defined as an odor or behavior issue.
• Be guilty of gambling upon any play or outcome of any game with anyone at any time.
• Smoke while in the stands or on the playing field or in any dugout at any time. Smoking will only be permitted in designated areas, which will be 100 feet from any spectator stands or dugouts.
• Be guilty of discussing publicly with spectators in a derogatory or abusive manner any play, decision or a personal opinion on any players during the game.
• Speak disrespectfully to any manager, coach, official or representative of the league.
• Be guilty of tampering or manipulation of any league rosters, schedules, draft positions or selections, official score books, rankings, financial records or procedures.
• Challenge an umpire’s authority. The umpires shall have the authority and discretion during a game to penalize the offender according to the infraction up to and including removal from the game.

Coaches are expected to make sure that their parents, as well as themselves, refrain from yelling at or arguing with the umpires. (Our umpires are in training and occasionally that will make some mistakes. There is not a large pool of umpires to draw from, so please do not discourage those that are willing to help.)

Any inappropriate behavior by a Fan may be cause for the suspension of a game by the Umpire. Game suspension may continue until such time as the Fan leaves the park. The Board of Directors will review all infractions of the SLL Code of Conduct. Depending on the seriousness or frequency, the board may assess additional disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the league.

Code of Conduct Policy

Overview

The Sandpoint Little League is concerned about the safety and well being of the children participating in Little League Sports Activities. This includes both the Physical and Mental well being of each participant. Managers, Coaches, Parents and Fans need to have a positive influence on our players and will be evaluated accordingly.

The Sandpoint Little League Board of Directors has instituted a Code of Conduct Policy that will help enforce an acceptable Code of Conduct for all participants in Sandpoint Little League activities. A Conduct Review Committee will evaluate each reported incident to determine the appropriate action to be taken. A Code of Conduct Incident Form may be filed by any Manager, Coach, Umpire, Board Member or Volunteer Evaluator. This method of reporting infractions should remove the subjective nature from evaluating a Code of Conduct Incident.

Conduct Review Committee

The Conduct Review Committee will be comprised of the President, Safety Officer and three other board members. The Conduct Review Committee will be nominated and accepted by the Sandpoint Little League Board of Directors at the beginning of each season. Two Alternative Conduct Review Committee Members will be nominated in case a conflict of interest is determined in the review of a specific incident.

Three Strike Policy

All participants in the Sandpoint Little League will adhere to the “Three Strikes and You’re Out” principle. The Conduct Review Committee will assign Strikes according to the severity of each incident. Depending on the incident, an infraction can carry more than one Strike as determined by the Conduct Review Committee. Figure 1 is a guideline for assignment of Strikes by the committee. Strikes may only be filed against an individual if a majority of the Conduct Review Committee determines that an infraction has been committed. All decisions made by the Review Committee are at their discretion and all decisions are final. Strikes are cumulative each season and will not carry over into the next season. Assigned Strikes will be used by the Board in evaluating and accepting Volunteer Positions each year.

Evaluation Procedure

A Code of Conduct Incident Form may be filed by any Manager, Coach, Umpire, Board Member or Volunteer Evaluator. Evaluators will be sent out to monitor and evaluate games throughout the season. The Volunteer Evaluator will file a Game Report Summary for each game he/she attends. A Code of Conduct Incident Form may be filed if the Volunteer Evaluator feels that a Manager, Coach, Umpire, Fan or Player has not adhered to the Code of Conduct as outlined in Figure 1. A Volunteer Evaluator may not use a game that his/her son/daughter participates in for evaluation purposes.

Notice of Infraction

The Conduct Review Committee will send via the United States Post Office a Notice of Conduct Infraction to the offending party with a description of the resulting penalty. Examples of applicable penalties are included in Figure 2 below as a reference.

Conclusion

As Board Members, Managers, Coaches and Volunteers are entrusted with the well being of the participants in the Sandpoint Little League. It is critical that each child have a positive experience with his/her participation. Umpires, Volunteers, Parents and Players all must be educated in Code of Conduct expectations and enforcement. The Conduct Review Committee must consistently enforce this policy to provide a healthy playing environment for all participants in the Sandpoint Little League.

Reference Chart and Actions

Figure 1: Examples of Strike Assignment

Figure 2: Action to be Taken Based on Strikes