Please Note: As a coach or volunteer within GVCO, all individuals must complete a mandatory criminal background screening, NO EXCEPTIONS!!

Definition:

GVCO recognizes a coach or volunteer as any person who leads and instructs players at practices and/or games - or portions of practices and/or games. This includes training youth, teaching fundamentals of sports, and developing team strategies. Anyone who is actively out on the field working with or overseeing players is considered a volunteer or coach and MUST complete a criminal background screening.

Statement:

The main goal of the criminal background screening process is to keep sexual predators, criminals, and violent offenders from working with children and youth, who are participating within GVCO. The criminal background screening will be conducted by a third party, who specializes in such work, and overseen by the board of directors for Great Valley Community Organization. GVCO has formed a partnership with a criminal background screening company called Protect Youth Sports. They are the only background check company recommended exclusively by the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS). For more information, about Protect Youth Sports please call (877) 319-5587 or visit them at www.protectyouthsports.com.

Procedure:

IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that all coaches and volunteers fill out the criminal background check application that gives GVCO permission to check criminal history records as well as verify social security numbers of individuals. This application process is 100% free to coaching candidates and is a service provided by GVCO to help protect children and youth participating within GVCO. The secure URL in which coaches can access and submit this application is:

https://opportunities.averity.com/GreatValleyCO

No other personal information (e.g. work history, financial, credit, etc.) is checked or researched. The company executing background checks has agreed to such terms contractually, and confirms such direction annually. The company never forwards any individual's information to the league where no issues are discovered.

In the event information surfaces via the background check, a screening committee, consisting of the board of directors for GVCO, will review such background check information to determine coaching eligibility. Only members of the screening committee will review the data obtained, which will then be processed discreetly. All information is strictly confidential and will not be made public under any circumstances.

Reasons for being declined the opportunity to coach are noted below as part of this policy. In some instances, factors of time may be taken into account when considering coaching eligibility (i.e. length of time since disposition of certain offenses).

The decision of the screening committee may be appealed by a candidate, for the purpose of clarifying facts or explaining extenuating circumstances.

All coaches are required to notify the committee immediately following an arrest or conviction of any of the listed offenses. Any coach, who while coaching for GVCO is arrested for committing an offense, as listed, will immediately forfeit his/her coaching eligibility until disposition by the courts. A conviction of an offense as listed below will result in termination of coaching eligibility as stated in the policy.

Prohibited Offenses:

The following is a list of offenses prohibiting an applicant from participation as a Coach under GVCO -- offenses including but not limited to the following:

• Arson
• Assault (including aggravated and sexual)
• Aggravated Kidnapping
• Aggravated Robbery
• Crimes against Children (including abandonment, abuse, endangerment, pornography, possession or promotion of pornography, enticement, solicitation, sale or purchase of, injury to, or indecency)
• Criminally Negligent Homicide
• Deadly Conduct
• Delivery of Marijuana
• Manufacture of or Delivery of a controlled substance or dangerous drug
• Any violation of a law intended to control the possession or distribution of any controlled substance or illegal drug
• Indecent Exposure
• Injury to Elderly or Disabled
• Intoxication Manslaughter
• Kidnapping
• Manslaughter (voluntary or involuntary)
• Murder
• Prohibited Sexual Conduct
• Prostitution (including promotion of, aggravated promotion of)
• Public Lewdness
• Rape
• Sexual Abuse
• Marijuana Possession*
• DWI /DUI*
• Theft**

* - If a first offense and not currently under probation --- eligible, but cannot drive any child other than his/her own. More than one violation has occurred or currently on probation --- ineligible.
** - Eligibility dependent upon the severity and length of time since offense occurred.