Sexual Misconduct List
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I was told of a recently released list, that named coaches involved in sexual misconduct with their students. Although distasteful, I feel that as a mother of a young girl, I need to investigate the existence of such a list. One of the coaches at our rink is reportedly on this list. How do you inquire about such a sensitive issue? Do you know of a list or report involving skating coaches? My daughter spends a lot of time at the rink. Katherine |
Linda says:
Be very careful of relying or using such a list, it does not truly address the issue. You cannot verify the accuracy of such a list. How would you know if a coach's name is erroneously on the list or if a coach is guilty of sexual misconduct and not on the list?
If you are concerned, you should be at the rink when your daughter is there. If other parents are concerned, you could form a buddy system where one parent is always at the rink but watches all the skaters. Be alert for any unusual activities. Talk to your daughter about the issue and make sure she knows whom she can talk to if anything happens to her, of if she hears of anything. In these situations, education goes a long way. Take any comments that your daughter makes seriously.
Amanda'sMom says:
I have not heard of such a list that you mentioned. As a parent, you should monitor your own child's skating sessions. Talk with her and let her know that she can speak to you about "any" concerns she may have. Are there parents who you know and trust that have the same concerns as you do? Get together with them and create a "Parent's Watch" (similar to a "Neighborhood Watch"). You might want to take turns monitoring each session.
Personally, I don't think that the PSA responsibly screens their member coaches in order to insure the safety of our children. In the sport of figure skating, the responsibility to protect our children from molesters and pedophiles rests solely on parents. At most, the PSA's "preventive" measures include within their By-Laws a "Code Of Ethics and Professional Conduct" in which their members will not be engaged in any offense in violation of federal, state or local laws, or laws of a foreign goverment.
There's an execellent article on the CNN Sports Illustrated site titled Protecting Your Child. It offers great protection tips for parents, espcially the first, volunteer organizations doing a background check on coaches. Skating organizations and clubs would be doing their members a service if they took advantage of having their local police department run free criminal checks on their employees. And another site that also offers parents great tips: Harassment.Com