Grievances

Overview:

The Red Wing Amateur Hockey Association (RWAHA) recognizes that, on occasion, incidents may occur that result in a dispute, disagreement, or misunderstanding (referred to as “grievances”) among members. It is the intent of the RWAHA Board of Directors to provide an opportunity for our members (coaches, parents, and players) to express their concerns and receive a timely and appropriate response. In order to ensure a respectful and professional experience, the Board insists that players, parents, coaches, volunteers, and Board members follow the grievance procedures as presented. The procedures are as follows:

General Concerns:

Problems or concerns that have to do with the coaching of the team, such as playing time, positions, practices, etc. should be taken to the coach or team manager of the respective team. If the problem cannot be resolved at this level, a member of the coaching committee should be contacted. Contact information for the coaching committee can be found at www.redwinghockey.org.

Code of Conduct Violations:

If a player, parent, coach, or volunteer is in violation of the Code of Conduct you should contact the RWAHA President and/ or Vice-President.

The Grievance Process:

1. 24 Hour Cooling Off Period. There are to be no spontaneous grievance-related conversations immediately following a game or practice. Players and parents agree to wait at least 24 hours after a game or practice prior to initiating a conversation with a coach, coordinator, or Board member. Coaches, coordinators, and Board members agree to not participate in any conversations where the grievance procedure has not been followed. The exception to this would be any situation where there is a threat or intended harm to a player.

2. Amicable Resolution. It is the belief of RWAHA that most differences are minor. The best manner in which to work out a difference of opinion is face-to-face discussion. This is true whether the discussion is between parents, a coach and player, a coach and manager, a coach and parent, or members and Board members.

3. Grievance Form. Prior to any conversations being held between a parent, coach, manager, or Board member, the RWAHA Grievance form must be completed by the parent/ guardian and emailed to the Grievance Committee. The email addresses can be found on the resources page of the RWAHA website.

a. The Grievance Committee will be responsible for delivering the form to the party (or parties) involved in the grievance. This will allow the other party (or parties) the opportunity to be prepared to discuss the issue.

b. The Grievance Committee is responsible for confirming the receipt of the grievance submission form by email within 7 days.

c. The Grievance Committee will be responsible for notifying the Board of Directors that a grievance has been filed and also submit a resolution report at the conclusion of the process.

4. Initial Meeting. A member of the Grievance Committee will contact the petitioner and arrange a time to meet with all parties in order to resolve the issue. All parties will need to agree to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully at all times.

5. Board of Directors Hearing. In the event of disciplinary action, an issue unresolved in the process steps above, or the grievance is specific to procedures or actions directed by the Grievance Committee, any member or party may request the grievance be brought to the RWAHA Board of Directors.

a. The complainant is to resubmit the grievance form by email to the RWAHA President. No other forms of communication will be accepted. The complainant is to specifically request a hearing for resolution of this grievance by the RWAHA Board of Directors. The RWAHA President will chair this process in the grievance review.

b. The Board of Directors will hear the grievance within 30 days of the request and will provide a minimum seven days’ notice of the hearing date, time, and location.

c. If any member of the Board of Directors has a conflict of interest, that member will not participate in the grievance process. If the RWAHA President has a conflict of interest, a new chair for the committee will be selected. A minimum of three reasonably impartial Board of Directors Members will be part of the hearing.

d. The Board of Directors will review the grievance submission form and conduct an investigation of the grievance to fully understand the issue.

e. Once the Board of Directors is satisfied and feels they have enough information on the situation that occurred, they will then meet privately without the parties involved to determine what type of resolution will be given.

f. The committee chair will then notify each of the parties individually to discuss the committee's final determination of the grievance. This will take place within 5 days of the hearing. A written determination will follow within 15 days of the hearing.

6. Outside Appeals. After following the above procedures, in accordance with our affiliation agreement with Minnesota Hockey, any member of RWAHA may appeal any disciplinary or administrative action of our association in accordance with Article 6 of the Minnesota Hockey by-laws. Appeals must be made to the MN Hockey Grievance Committee for consideration.

SafeSport Violations: In the event that any RWAHA member observes any of the violations outlined by SafeSport, it is the member’s personal responsibility to immediately report their observations as outlined by SafeSport. In addition, the member must also consider reporting suspected child physical or sexual abuse to appropriate law enforcement authorities. RWAHA has ZERO TOLERANCE for abuse and misconduct. Additional information regarding SafeSport can be found at Reporting to the U.S. Center for SafeSport (usahockey.com)