Pennsbury Athletic Association Baseball and Softball

The Pennsbury Athletic Association (“PAA”) has implemented a new mandatory background check policy that will be effective with the start of the 2012 regular (spring) season and will cover all baseball and softball managers and coaches for in-house, travel and tournament teams.

Purpose
It is the intent of this policy to establish certain guidelines wherein the Pennsbury Athletic Association (“PAA”) can seek to protect children registered in the PAA’s leagues and teams by investigating the background of volunteers who will be coaching in sanctioned athletic programs. 

I. Statement
Criminal background screening on coaches is conducted by an outside third party which specializes in such work, and overseen (in specific instances) by a screening committee, a subset of the Pennsbury Athletic Association (“PAA”) Board of Directors (“Board”). This is executed in an effort to protect the children who participate in organized baseball, softball and related activities associated with PAA.

II. Definitions
PAA recognizes a coach is any person who leads and instructs players at practices and/or games - or portions of practices and/or games - for softball and/or any baseball in-house, travel or tournament team.

The criminal background screening is mandatory, there are no exceptions.

III. Procedure
All candidates for the above mentioned positions must sign a Release Form for Criminal History which gives PAA the right to check criminal history records and verify social security numbers. This work is executed directly, through www.protectyouthsports.com, and the secure URL at which coaches can execute their PAA background check is: the https://opportunities.averity.com

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, with members consisting of the PAA Commissioner, Vice Commissioner of Administration, Vice Commissioner of Baseball, Vice Commissioner of Softball and Board Secretary will review such background check information to determine coaching eligibility. Only members of the screening committee will review 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, for the purpose of clarifying facts or explaining extenuating circumstances, to the screening committee.

All criminal history record information will be promptly destroyed at the end of the current PAA baseball season.

All coaches are required to notify the committee immediately following an arrest or conviction on any of the listed offenses. Any coach, who while coaching for PAA 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 will result in termination of coaching eligibility as stated in the policy.

The following is a list of offenses prohibiting an applicant from participation as a coach under PAA -- 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*
- Driving While Intoxicated/Impaired (DWI) / Driving Under the Influence (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.