Berkeley Heights Youth Soccer Club Player Bill of Rights

1. I am entitled to feel safe at all practices, scrimmages, games and events pertaining to the Berkeley Heights Youth Soccer Club.
2. I am entitled to be respected by all coaches, assistant coaches, trainers and teammates.
3. I am entitled to have a voice on my team- I can tell my coaches and teammates how I feel without fear of a harmful response.
4. I am entitled to be in an environment free from bullying. 

The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act (ABR) defines harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) as any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by an actual or perceived characteristic, such as:

• Race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory disability or by any other distinguishing characteristic; and that

• Takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function, on a school bus, or

• Off school grounds, that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students; and that

• A reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging the student’s property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his/her person or damage to his/her property; or

• Has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students; or

• Creates a hostile educational environment for the student by interfering with a student’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student. (N.J.S.A. 18A:37-14)

5.  I am entitled to be in an environment free from harassment.
6.  I am entitled to be in an environment free from emotional misconduct.
7.  I am entitled to be in an environment free from physical misconduct.    

¹ Bullying as defined by the New Jersey Department of Education Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act https://nj.gov/education/safety/sandp/hib/index.shtml 

² Harassment as defined by US Center for SafeSport https://safesporttrained.org/#/courses 

³ Emotional misconduct as defined by US Center for SafeSport https://safesporttrained.org/#/courses 

⁴ Physical misconduct as defined by US Center for SafeSport https://safesporttrained.org/#/courses 

⁵ Information provided by SafeSport https://safesporttrained.org/#/courses 

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        What might this look like? 

1. Bullying: repeated and/or severe aggressive behavior directed at a minor that is intended or likely to hurt, control or diminish another person emotionally, physically or sexually.  This includes:

   • Ridiculing, taunting, name calling, or intimidating someone 
   • Excluding or ignoring a member of the team
   • Cyberbullying: using social media or email to harass, frighten intimate or humiliate someone

   Harassment: repeated or severe conduct that cause fear, humiliation or annoyance, offends or degrades, creates a hostile environment, or reflects discriminatory bias. This includes:

   • Using racial slurs
   • Excluding a teammate based on perceived differences
   • Repeatedly teasing a teammate based on stereotypes

   Emotional Misconduct: repeated and or severe non-contact behavior involving verbal acts, physical acts or acts that deny attention or support, also includes stalking.  Examples may include:

   • Repeatedly and excessively screaming at a player for a poor performance
   • Routinely ignoring and refusing to coach a player as punishment
   • Repeatedly yelling at an athlete for no training/motivational purposes
   • Throwing sports equipment or punching walls, in the presence of others
   • Routinely or arbitrarily excluding an athlete from activities; acts that deny attention or support
   • Constantly contacting an athlete and making him her feel unsafe or threatened

   Physical Misconduct: contact or non-contact violations that put an athlete’s physical safety or well being at risk. This does not include well-regulated forms of striking when part of a combat sport.  This includes:

   • Striking an athlete as punishment
   • Forcing an injured athlete to continue playing without clearance from a medical professional
   • Denying an athlete adequate water or hydration

   If you feel that your rights have been violated please contact the Head of the BHYSC Coaches Committee https://www.bhysc.com/Default.aspx?tabid=778371