Safety
Reporting
The process for issuing a report of a complaint or accusation of misconduct as outlined in this policy and the USABA Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy from any individual will be to report to either the USABA Chief Executive Officer, USABA Athlete Representative, or to the USOPC Director of Athlete Safety and, when applicable, to local law enforcement authorities. For reports of misconduct in violation of the US Center for SafeSport (USCSS) Code in terms of physical, emotional, and sexual misconduct, reports can be made directly to the USCSS.
No direct fees or other cost is involved in making a report. Contact your local authorities if you have a reasonable suspicion that child sexual abuse or neglect has occurred. All reports of child abuse or sexual assault of a minor must also be reported to local authorities. Reports of abuse not involving a minor may also be reported to local authorities. Reports to USABA or the U.S Center for SafeSport may be anonymous. However, to assist in the investigation, they will be encouraged to be made with the identity of the accuser or reporter being identified. This process will be included in the training and education described above. USABA will establish and ensure a reporting process for complaints issued and the findings. If a report is associated with USABA’s role as a USOPC Multi-Sport Organization or with USABA’s role as a USOPC High-Performance Management Organization for goalball, reports shall be made to the USOPC and any applicable legal agencies as appropriate. A link to report complaints or accusations will be included on the USABA website on the Safety Initiatives page in a prominent place along with links for training materials. A list of Suspended Members based upon the confirmation of misconduct decided during an investigation by the USABA Judicial Board will be available on the USABA website on the Safety Initiatives page in a prominent place.
Report alleged violations of the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policy and alleged emotional or physical misconduct to USABA:
- Phone: (719) 866-3224 (calls directed to Chief Executive Officer or Athlete Representative)
Report alleged sexual misconduct to the US Center for SafeSport:
- Phone: (720) 531-0340
Report misconduct to USOPC:
- Phone: (719) 866-3869
- Email: safesport@usoc.org
Federal law requires all suspected child abuse, including sexual abuse, to be reported to both the USCSS and appropriate law enforcement authorities immediately. USABA and USOPC do not investigate suspicions or allegations of child physical or sexual abuse, or attempt to evaluate the credibility or validity of such allegations as a condition for reporting to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.
HOW TO REPORT
USABA and USOPC will accept a report in whatever way is most comfortable for you including an anonymous, in-person, verbal, or written report. Regardless of how you choose to report, it is helpful if the report includes the following information:
- name(s) of the complainant(s);
- type of misconduct alleged;
- name(s) of the individual(s) alleged to have committed the misconduct;
- approximate dates the misconduct was committed;
- names of other individuals who might have information regarding the alleged
misconduct; and
- a summary statement of the reasons to believe that misconduct has occurred.
Reports to USOPC may be made on an Incident Reporting Form, which can be found on the USOPC website at: https://www.teamusa.org/SafeSport-Reporting-Form.
All reports of suspected child abuse made to the USABA and USOPC will be forwarded to the USCSS and appropriate law enforcement authorities.
CONFIDENTIALITY, ANONYMOUS REPORTING AND BAD FAITH ALLEGATIONS
To the extent permitted by law, and as appropriate, the USABA and USOPC will, on request, keep confidential the names of the complainant, the potential victims, and the accused perpetrator.
However, anonymous reporting may make it difficult for the USABA and USOPC to properly address allegations.
Regardless of the outcome, the USABA and USOPC will support the complainant(s) and his or her right to express concerns in good faith. The USABA and USOPC will not encourage, allow or tolerate attempts from any individual to retaliate, punish, allow, or in any way harm any individual(s) who reports a concern in good faith. Any allegations of such retaliation should be reported using the same process as for reporting an initial concern.
A report of abuse, misconduct or policy violations that is malicious, frivolous or made in bad faith, is prohibited. Depending on the nature of the allegation, a person making a malicious, frivolous or bad-faith report may also be subject to civil or criminal proceedings.
SafeSport & Safety Initiatives
USABA is committed to providing athletes a safe and secure playing environment. Towards this commitment, all coaches, staff members, team point of contacts (POC), tournament directors, USABA referees and athletes training at a designated Olympic/Paralympic Training Site are required to complete the following training listed below.
Starting on January 1, 2020, applicable individuals will be considered an Inactive Member until all of the safety requirements below have been completed. Once completed, this individual’s membership status will be changed to an Active Member. A posted public spreadsheet of non-athletes membership status’ will be posted and updated weekly on the USABA website.
The USABA membership, Concussion Safety, SafeSport and Background Check requirements listed below are required for the following individuals participating at a USABA-sanctioned event or tournament. An individual who fails to complete these items before the start of a USABA-sanctioned event or tournament will be ineligible to participate or attend that event or tournament.
- Coaches: Any individual who is listed as a coach on approved rosters and sits on the bench or stands in the coaches’ box during the course of the game.
- Staff Members: Any USABA staff member, contractor or board member from the national goalball program and the national office.
- Team Point of Contact (POC): For goalball teams that do not have a designated coach, a POC is an individual selected by the team to receive tournament communication on behalf of the team. The POC must be in attendance for the tournament.
- Tournament Directors: Any individual who is responsible for coordinating a USABA-sanctioned event or tournament as selected by USABA staff.
- USABA Referees: Any referee selected as a lead official for a USABA-sanctioned tournament as selected by the USABA Referee Coordinator.
- Training Site Athletes: Any athlete who trains at a designated Olympic/Paralympic Training Site for a USABA program.
Every team must have at least one Coach or POC with completed safety requirements at each USABA-sanctioned event or tournament the team attends. The pool team POC will either be; a) the tournament director or b) another certified coach or staff designated by the tournament director.
a. CDC Concussion in Sports Course: CDC Concussion in Sports Course provided by the National Federation of State High Schools: https://nfhslearn.com/courses/concussion-in-sports-2. This course can be taken in about 30 minutes and must be completed every two years. To complete this training, select your home state from the dropdown menu and click “Order Course”. The course is free in all states. Please send completion certificates to Amanda Duke-Boulet at aduke@usaba.org and save a copy for your own records.
b. US Center for Safesport Training:
STARTING October 15, 2020, ALL SAFESPORT TRAINING WILL NOW BE VALID FOR ONE YEAR ONLY. THIS IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH NEW USOPC AND SAFESPORT POLICIES. The initial Safesport training course takes approximately 2 hours to complete. After the first year of the initial training has been completed, individuals must complete an annual Refresher course which takes approximately 30 minutes. Refresher courses can be found in your Safesport profile using the same login credentials submitted to complete the initial training.
Safe Sport Registration Directions:
(NOTE: SafeSport courses feature an English accessible version, which is selected once a learner is within the SafeSport course, and is compatible with NVDA and JAWS screen readers and Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers. We also recommend completing the course using a desktop device. The course unfortunately is not compatible at the moment with Apple Voice Over technology. If learners are unable to access the course using the recommended screen readers and browsers, SafeSport can provide an accommodation through a Word Document transcript that is compatible with Apple software. To implement this accommodation, there is an agreement that would need to be signed by the learner to obtain the transcript and indicate course completion so there are a few steps within this process. To submit an accommodations request, please email accessibility@safesport.org.)
For users who completed the training on the previous platform, go to the following link:
https://safesporttrained.org/#/public-dashboard
Head to the Log In section and enter your email in the Username field and select Forgot Password. You will be sent an email prompting you to reset your password. Once logged in with your new credentials, you can access upcoming and previous training.
For users who have not previously taken a Safesport course, select the link below:
USABA Safesport Enrollment Link
Note: it is critical that users who have not previously taken a Safesport course sign up through this link above. This link is specific to USABA and will associate your profile with the organization. Do NOT register through the Sign Up option on the homepage, as this will not associate you with the organization and create problems with tracking your training properly.
Once logged in, go to the My Courses section. This section will provide an overview of courses you have completed and courses that you are eligible to complete. Completed courses will have a Completed label on them, while incomplete courses will have a Start label. You can start a course, save your progress at your desired stopping point and resume at a later time.
Completion of Safesport courses is now required on an annual basis, starting with the Safesport Trained course (year 1), Refresher 1 course (year 2), Refresher 2 course (year 3), and Refresher 3 course (year 4). After completing the Refresher 3 course, the course cycle restarts with the Safesport Trained course.
To access certificates of completion for courses already completed, head to the My Courses section, find the course and select the Completed button. This will take you to the course page, where you can download a PDF certificate in the Certificate section. You can also go to the Menu and select Transcript, which will show a full history of your courses.
c. Criminal Background Checks by the National Center for Safety Initiatives (NCSI):
Submit your background check through NCSI: https://www.ncsisafe.com/Members/SelfRegBatchCode.aspx
Enter registration code 57781791 and follow on-screen directions to submit your background check. The background check verification process can take up to 7-10 business days and a clear and current check must be verified before the tournament start date. Unlike in past years, USABA will not accept any outside background checks. Background checks are valid for 2 years from the approval date and cost $30.
U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Response and Resolution Policy
Download the USABA Response and Resolution Policy updated on December 12, 2023.
U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Athlete Safety Policy
Download the USABA Athlete Safety Policy updated on June 13, 2022.
U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Athlete Safety Quality Control Policy
Download the USABA Athlete Safety Quality Control Policy updated on December 12, 2023.
U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies
Download the USABA Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies updated on December 28, 2021.
The Center for SafeSport offers a Parent Toolkit that provides tips and information for supporting a positive sport experience for children.
SafeSport Parent Toolkit
SafeSport’s free online parent training
More resources:
Parents of Preschool Children
Parents of School-Age Children
Parents of Middle School Youth
Parents of High School Aged Adolescents
Suspension & Other Measures
Lukas Horton (temporary suspension effective 2/5/2021)
