Darien Youth Lacrosse Association

Grievance Procedure

All participants in the DYLAX program, including players, parents, coaches, spectators, and referees, are expected to behave according to the Darien Youth Lacrosse Association’s Code of Conduct (available on the DYLAX website).  Along the same lines, it is expected that any conflicts that arise between participants will be resolved by applying both the letter and the spirit of the Code of Conduct, keeping in mind that the adult members of the program are viewed by the younger members as leaders, role models, and problem solvers.

The Board of DYLAX recognizes, however, that there may be rare instances when these conflicts cannot be satisfactorily resolved directly by the parties to the dispute or through the informal intervention of another program member.  For those situations (and it is anticipated that they will very rarely occur), the Board has instituted a formal Grievance Procedure.  All members should be aware that the Grievance Procedure IS NOT a substitute for direct conflict resolution between the parties; it is a secondary procedure to be employed only in the unlikely event that the parties cannot amicably and responsibly resolve their dispute through direct communication.

1.             A grievance may be lodged by any member of the DYLAX program for any suspected violation of the DYLAX Code of Conduct or for any suspected violation of local, state or federal law.

2.             A valid grievance must be in writing, using the Darien Youth Lacrosse Association’s Grievance Form (attached), and must explain the nature of the grievance, the circumstances surrounding the alleged violation, and the specific provision(s) of the Code of Conduct alleged to have been violated.  The person filing the grievance must also identify all witnesses or other persons with knowledge of the alleged violation.

3.             A valid grievance must be signed by a parent, coach or player and submitted to the appropriate program Vice President (i.e., Girls or Boys).

4.             No grievance will be accepted from any person who fails to file the written grievance within two weeks of the incident in question.

5.             No grievance will be accepted from any person who himself or herself has not complied with the Code of Conduct, including the rule requiring a 24-hour “cooling off” period prior to speaking to a coach or DYLAX official about the incident in question, or has engaged in any threatening, abusive or harassing conduct, including verbal abuse.

6.             No grievance will be accepted that seeks to challenge a coaching decision.  For purposes of this provision, a coaching decision includes, but is not limited to, travel team selection, playing time, position assignments, starting assignments and lacrosse strategy.  Playing time guidelines can be found under the “Boys Program” and “Girls Program” tabs on the Home Page of the DYLAX website.

7.             Details of the grievance are not to be discussed with anyone other than the party(ies) directly involved with resolving the grievance.

8.             Upon receipt, the program Vice President will review the grievance and determine, in consultation with the DYLAX Counsel, whether the grievance will be accepted or rejected.  The person filing the grievance will be notified promptly whether the grievance has been accepted or rejected.

9.             If the grievance is accepted, the Vice President will thoroughly investigate the incident and attempt to resolve the grievance with the parties amicably.

10.         In the event that the Vice President is unable to resolve the grievance to the satisfaction of the parties, the grievance will be turned over to a Sportsmanship Liaison Officer appointed by the Board to monitor Code of Conduct compliance. 

11.         The Sportsmanship Liaison Officer will evaluate the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged Code of Conduct violation, conduct any further investigation he or she may deem necessary, and issue a recommendation to the Executive Council of the DYLAX Board for resolving the grievance. 

12.         The Executive Council may accept the recommendation of the Sportsmanship Liaison Officer or may decide that it is in the best interests of DYLAX to resolve the matter in any other manner approved by a majority of the members of the Executive Council.

13.         Decisions of the Executive Council are final and will be communicated in writing to the grieving party(ies).

14.         It is anticipated that the process will take between two to three weeks from the time the grievance is filed to the time a final decision is rendered by the Executive Council, assuming all parties are prompt and forthcoming in providing the necessary information.  In the event of concern for physical safety, a more expedited process will be implemented.

DARIEN YOUTH LACROSSE CLUB

1.      Date of incident:  ______________     Approximate time of incident:  __________________

4.      Person/(s) initiating grievance: _________________________________________________

5.      Phone # of above: (home) _______________(cell) _____________(e-mail) _____________

6.      Person(s) against whom grievance is initiated: _________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

7.      Description of incident (include specific Code of Conduct provision yiolated):

8. Witness(es): _________________________________________________________________

9. Were the Police called?              ____ No                  ____ Yes  If yes, explain: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Other pertinent information:

11. Signature(s) of person(s) filing the grievance: