[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township
of South Harrison 8-7-2002 by Ord. No. 0-02-02. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The specifications contained herein for the behavior of parents,
guardians, coaches, players and officials for any youth sports event.
Any competition, practice or instructional event involving
one or more youth sports teams.
As used herein, shall refer to any sports organization organized
pursuant to a nonprofit or similar charter which is affiliated with
or received monetary or other support from South Harrison Township
or regularly utilizes any facilities owned, operated, or maintained
by South Harrison Township, which sports organization participates
in sporting competitions involving minors, except for sports event
supervised by the South Harrison Township School District.
The parents and guardians of each child, and the child, participating
in a sports team shall be required by the sports team to execute an
agreement acknowledging receipt of this chapter and agreeing to be
bound thereby.
A.
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, player or official at any youth
sports event who initiates a fight, scuffle, or any type of physical
abuse or threats of abuse towards any player, coach, official, parent,
or spectator may be banned from attendance at all youth sports events
within the Township of South Harrison for a period up to but not to
exceed 12 months from the date of the incident.
B.
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, player or official at any youth
sporting event who enters the field of play, court, or rink during
any youth sporting event for the purpose of physically or verbally
abusing or confronting coaches, players or officials may be banned
from attendance at one or all youth sports events within the Township
of South Harrison for a period up to but not to exceed 12 months from
the date of the incident.
C.
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, player or official at any youth
sports event who verbally abuses officials, players or spectators
including the use of obscene or profane language or gestures, racial,
ethnic or sexual slurs may be banned from all youth sports events
for a period of up to but not to exceed 12 months from the date of
the incident and may be subject to such disciplines as provided for
by this chapter.
D.
Any parent, guest, spectator, player or official at any youth sports
event who throws or causes to be deposited any object on the field
of play, court, or rink during any youth sports event may be banned
from attendance at all youth sports events for a period of up to but
not to exceed 12 months from the date of this chapter.
E.
Any parent, guest, spectator, coach, player or official at any youth
sporting event shall be subject to the authority of all field officials
including umpires and referees and elected league officials of the
youth sports team or teams sponsoring the youth sports event, or in
the absence of such persons at a youth sports team's practice
or instructional event, to the authority of the senior youth sports
team coach on the premises. "Senior" shall mean longest service as
a coach for the South Harrison Athletic Association. Such authority
shall include the authorization to direct any person or persons involved
in any incident in violation of this chapter to immediately remove
themselves from the premises.
A South Harrison Township Code of Conduct Committee is hereby
established. The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Committee shall be
the Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission.[1] Other members of the Code of Conduct Committee shall be
one other member of the Parks and Recreation Commission appointed
by the Chairman thereof, and the other three members of the Code of
Conduct Committee shall be members of the Athletic Association, one
of whom shall be President of the Athletic Association and the other
two shall be appointed by the President of the Athletic Association.
A.
Upon a determination by the chief official at a youth sports event
that a parent, guest, spectator, coach, player or official at any
youth sports event sponsored by such youth sports team has violated
a provision of this chapter, such official shall forward to such violator
a notice via regular and certified mail indicating the date and location
and nature of the violation and the period of banning or other action
to be taken in response to such violation.
B.
Any person receiving such a notice who wishes to contest same shall
appeal to the South Harrison Township Code of Conduct Committee within
10 calendar days of the mailing of said notice by forwarding a copy
of said notice with a written request for appeal specifically setting
forth the basis of such person's contest of the notice of violation
via personal delivery or certified mail to the Chairperson of the
Code of Conduct Committee at 664 Harrisonville Road, Harrisonville,
New Jersey, or P.O. Box 113, Harrisonville, New Jersey 08039.
C.
Upon receipt of such an appeal, the Code of Conduct Committee shall
convene within 10 days and provide an opportunity for said person
and any interested person to appear and be heard with respect to the
occurrence of any violation and the action taken by the youth sports
team.
D.
The Code of Conduct Committee shall be authorized to hear testimony
under oath, review affidavits and such other and further information
or documentation relevant to the violation and upon a majority vote
of the members of the Committee present at such hearing, may sustain,
overturn, or modify the youth sports team's notice of violation
and the period of banning or other action taken in response to such
violation consistent with this chapter.
E.
All notices of violation and banning shall remain in effect until
overturned or modified by the Committee.
F.
In the event any notice of violation is not appealed within 10 days
of such notice, said notice of violation and the action taken by the
youth sports team official including banning from youth sports events
shall become final.
The Code of Conduct Committee shall be charged with enforcing
the provision of the Youth Sports Team Code of Conduct established
pursuant to this chapter.
The Code of Conduct Committee shall meet in February of each
year to elect a Secretary and such other officers as the Code of Conduct
Committee shall deem appropriate, and may meet as often as is necessary
to conduct its business and for the purposes of enforcing the provisions
of this chapter. The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Committee shall
submit a list of all its members and officers to the Township Clerk
in writing by March 1 of each year.
The Code of Conduct Committee may establish rules and procedures
as it deems appropriate for the conduct of its business and in default
thereof shall operate pursuant to Robert's Rules of Order to
the extent they are not in conflict with this chapter.
