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Athlete Protection Guidance

The Montgomery County Swim League (MCSL) is certainly concerned with the continued safety of all children involved in the league. This includes their protection against any incidences of crime such as those perpetrated by coaching volunteers and/or staff of other organizations involving children.

While the league has no role or authority in the hiring of coaches of its individual member teams, the Board does ask each team to consider all hiring decisions carefully and to consider use of background checks prior to offering a coaching position to any applicant. This provides some protection to the swimmers, the team, and to the pool organization.

Below are a few services that provide various levels of background checks that are utilized by other local organizations involving youth. This information is by no means an exhaustive list. It is provided only as a courtesy and in no way indicates an official endorsement by the MCSL. Please note that coaches who are also USA Swimming certified may already have undergone a background check as this is now required. For more information on the background check requirements by USA Swimming, visit www.usaswimming.org/protect. Additional notes on athlete protection are provided by the Potomac Valley Swim League at http://pvswim.org/coaches/2010_PVS_Sexual_Misconduct_Leadership_Workshop_Notes.pdf