lawson

Fourteen Legal Duties of Athletic Personnel • Duty to Plan

o Have a yearly plan, keep it, and follow it o Prevent or reduce injury and loss by developing responsive strategies in:

• Coaching competence • Medical screening • Appropriate activities that consider age, maturity, and environmental conditions • Injury response • Warnings to athletes and their families • Child advocacy in cases of alcohol and other drug abuse or family neglect or

abuse • Duty to Supervise

o A coach must be: • Physically present • Provide competent instruction • Structure practices that are appropriate for the age and maturity of players • Prevent foreseeable injuries and respond to injury or trauma in an approved

manner o This duty requires supervisors to ensure that facilities are locked and that students are

denied access when a competent staff member cannot be physically present to supervise o A coach must also supervise the condition, safe usage, maintenance and upkeep of

equipment and facilities • Duty to Assess an Athlete’s Readiness for Practice and Competition

o Coaches are required to assess the health and physical or maturational readiness skills and physical condition of athletes

o Athletes must be medically screened in accordance with applicable regulations before participating in tryouts, practice, or competition

o Injured athletes who require the services of a physician may not return to practice or competition without written permission of the physician

• Duty to Maintain Safe Playing Conditions

o Coaches are considered trained professionals who possess a higher level of knowledge and skill that permits them to identify foreseeable causes of injury inherent in defective equipment or hazardous environments

o Weather conditions must be considered and athletes should not be subjected to intense or prolonged conditioning during periods of extreme heat and humidity

o A plan for monitoring and responding to dangerous weather conditions is necessary

Fourteen Legal Duties of Athletic Personnel (cont)

• Duty to Provide Proper Equipment o Coaches must ensure that athletes are properly equipped with clean, durable and safe

equipment o Protective equipment must carry a NOCSAE (National Operating Commission on Safety

in Athletic Equipment) certification and must be checked for proper fit and wearing o Athletes must wear protective equipment any time they are exposed to the full rigors of

contact in practice or competition • Duty to Instruct Properly

o Athletic practices must be characterized by instruction that accounts for a logical sequence of fundamentals that lead to an enhanced progression of player knowledge, skill and capability

o Instruction must demonstrate appropriate and safe technique and must include warning about unsafe technique and prohibited practices

• Duty to Match Athletes During Practice

o Athletes in practices should be matched with consideration for: • Maturity • Skill • Age • Size • Speed

• Duty to Condition Properly

o Practices must account for a progression of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditioning regiments that prepare athletes sequentially for more challenging practices and competitive activities

o Consideration must be given to weather, maturational and readiness factors • Duty to Warn

o Coaches are required to warn parents and athletes of unsafe practices specific to a sport and the potential for injury or death

o A generic warning, signed by both athletes and parents is included in the physical packet but sport specific warnings should be included at the parent meetings for specific sports

• Duty to Ensure Athletes are Covered by Injury Insurance

o Athletes must be cleared through the athletic office prior to participation and should not be allowed to participate without this clearance

Fourteen Legal Duties of Athletic Personnel (cont) • Duty to Provide Emergency Care

o Coaches are expected to be able to administer approved, prioritized, standard first aid procedures in response to a range of traumatic injuries

• Duty to Develop/Follow an Emergency Response Plan

o Plans must be in place to: • Manage uninjured team members while emergency care is being administered to

an injured athlete • Ensure access to a stocked first aid kit, spine board and other emergency

response equipment • Access to a telephone and ensure a timely call to EMS • Expedite rapid access by EMS to the injured athlete by stationing coaches or

team members at driveways, parking lots, entry doors and remote hallways • Duty to Provide Proper Transportation

o Authorized transportation should be utilized as much as possible for travel to athletic events

o Ensure that all athletes are on the bus / in the vehicle before it departs from an away contest

o Coaches and/or parent drivers must have volunteer driver forms to drive athletes • Duty to Select, Train, and Supervise Coaches

o Athletic administrators will be expected to ensure coaches are capable of providing safe conditions and activities as outlined in the preceding list of 13 duties