Background Screening

Background Screening Policy

• A criminal background check is required for all Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Trainers, and Managers. An Assistant Coach, Trainer, or Manager is any person designated by the head coach as an assistant or any coach who shall be alone with players or responsible for a team during a game or practice. It is the policy of CHAA that at any CHAA-sanctioned game, practice, or event, there must be at least one adult present who has successfully completed a criminal background check. If there is not one adult present who has completed a CHAA Background Check, the game, practice, or event must be halted or postponed until such an adult is available.
• A written authorization allowing CHAA to order an individual criminal background check is required. It is the responsibility of the candidate for the volunteer or coaching position, the “Applicant,” to fill out the CHAA background check consent form and return it to a Board Member as directed. Failure to provide a background check consent form will disqualify the applicant from consideration for their volunteer or coaching position.
• The Background Screening “Committee” shall administer all background screening procedures. The Committee shall be made up of the current President, Vice-President, Secretary, and the Director of the Sport for which the Applicant is submitting an application for volunteer status. The Sport Director or a designated Board Member shall receive the completed background screening consent forms and forward them to the Background Committee. The Committee shall be responsible for transmitting the forms to the reporting agency selected by the Board. The Committee shall receive and review the results of the background screening reports from the agency.
• Individual applicants (“Applicants”) will be reviewed by the Background Check Committee and may be disqualified from positions as a Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Trainer, or Manager if they have ever been found guilty or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, regardless of the adjudication, for any of the following:
  • Any crimes against children
  • Any conviction involving violence
  • Any sexual offense
• Should any pending charges described above be uncovered, or should any charges be brought against an Applicant during the Coaches season, the Applicant will be reviewed by the Background Check Committee and may be suspended from serving as a volunteer until such time as the charges have been cleared or dropped and he/she is reinstated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
• In addition, Applicants will be reviewed by the Background Check Committee and may be disqualified if they have been found guilty or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, regardless of the adjudication, for any of the following within the past seven (7) years:
  • Any Felony Conviction
  • Any Drug Related Conviction
• Applicants shall also be reviewed by the Background Check Committee for possible disqualification if they have been found guilty or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, regardless of the adjudication, for any of the following within the past five (5) years:
  • Any crimes of moral turpitude or lack of integrity and/or character of an Applicant, as determined by the Background Check Committee
  • More than one alcohol-related conviction
• The Background Check Committee shall notify the affected Applicant that a disqualifying entry was reported on the criminal background check and present the background report and FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) letter to the Applicant. In the event the Applicant feels a mistake has been reported in their criminal background check, it is the Applicant’s responsibility to contact the reporting agency and resolve any issues. The Applicant has the right to appeal the decision made by the Background Check Committee. Included with the notification letter will be a copy of the Appeal Process. Failure to adhere to the process set forth as indicated in the Appeal Process will render the Background Check Committee’s decision as final.
• All information in response to the criminal background check or disclosed in the review process shall be kept confidential and not disclosed or discussed outside of the review process. CHAA and its members are not responsible for errors or omissions that may be reported on background checks. The Background Check Committee of CHAA shall maintain all authorizations and records or reports in a confidential manner.
• All background checks will expire two (2) years from the date of submission to the reporting agency. Each Applicant successfully completing a background check will receive a certificate as proof of a successfully completed background check showing an expiration date. It is the responsibility of the Applicant to show this certificate as proof when applying to volunteer for another sport later in the year. If an Applicant loses their certificate, it is their responsibility to have another background check completed. If the background check is set to expire during the commission of that sport, another background check must be completed.
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