LOCKER ROOM POLICY

PURPOSE 

The following guidelines are designed to maintain personal privacy as well as to reduce the risk of misconduct in locker rooms and changing areas. 

FACILITIES 

The Town of Tonawanda Titans practice at the following locations:

·      Tonawanda Aquatic & Fitness Center (AFC)

·      Kenmore West High School

·      Kenmore East High School

·      Franklin Middle School 

·      Canisius University (as needed)

These locations have a changing area that is shared with individuals who have memberships with the Town (AFC location only), as well as students of the KenTon school district or Canisius University. As such, there may be people who are not associated with TTSC in the changing area around the time of practice. 

MONITORING
 

General Policy Considerations

Coaches and staff make every effort to recognize when an athlete goes to the locker room or changing area during practice and competition and, if they do not return in a timely fashion, we will check on the athlete’s whereabouts. 

We discourage parents from entering locker rooms and changing areas unless it is truly necessary. In those instances, it should only be a same‐sex parent. If this is necessary, parents should let the coach or administrator know about this in advance. 

If an athlete needs assistance with his or her uniform or gear (for example, a child under the age of eight), or an athlete’s disability warrants assistance, then we ask that parents let the coach, or an administrator know beforehand that he or she will be helping the athlete. 

TTSC has staggered practices, with different groups arriving and departing throughout the day. It is therefore not practical to constantly monitor locker rooms and changing areas over this extended course of time. While we do not post a coach inside or at the doors of the locker rooms and changing areas, we do make occasional sweeps of these areas. Coaches conduct these sweeps, with women checking on female locker rooms, and men checking on male locker rooms. 

USE OF CELL PHONES AND OTHER MOBILE RECORDING DEVICES 

Cell phones and other mobile devices with recording capabilities, including voice recording, still cameras and video cameras increase the risk for different forms of misconduct in locker rooms and changing areas. The USA Swimming Athlete Protection Policies prohibit the use of such devices in the locker room or other changing area: 

305.3 Use of audio or visual recording devices, including a cell phone camera, is not allowed in changing areas, rest rooms or locker rooms. 

ATHLETE MISCONDUCT 

Violations of the Locker Room Policy could result in penalties that include, but are not limited to, the following: 

·      Removal from practice/meet/event. 

·      Temporary suspension from practices / facility. 

·      Expulsion from the program.