Bullying & Emotional Wellness Policy
Bayshore Little League is focused on the total well-being of our players and any type of bullying can have serious effects on players. Bayshore Little League has adopted an anti-bully policy as a part of our safety plan, we consider the emotional well-being of little league players to be as important as their physical health.
Bullying may lead to anxiety and low self-esteem in youth who are targeted, but it also causes other youth to feel unsafe. Youth of all ages deserve the right to feel safe and supported by all Bayshore Board Members, managers, coaches, players, umpires, volunteers, and parents. Creating an atmosphere where our youth can flourish is everyone's responsibility.
Bullying is behavior by one person or a group of people with the intent to ridicule, harass, humiliate or intimidate another person during league games, events and/or at league fields. Anyone who engages in harassment, in any form (verbal, physical, cyber, etc.), or commits violence or acts of intimidation shall be prohibited from participating in Little League activities.
This applies to player-to-player, adult-to-player, player-to-adult, and adult-to-adult interactions. We strive to have a safe and encouraging environment at all Little League functions.
The following types of behavior will not be accepted in the Little League culture:
• Physical Bullying: Hitting, pushing, shoving, punching, strangling, hair-pulling, stealing, excessive tickling, or any other deliberate and inappropriate touching.
• Verbal Bullying: Hurtful, deliberate name-calling, banter, taunting, intimidating, threatening, gossiping, and teasing.
• Emotional Bullying: Rejection, terrorizing, extorting, humiliating, blackmailing, rating/ranking of personal characteristics, such as race, disability, ethnicity, or perceived sexual orientation, manipulating friendships, isolating, and peer pressure.
• Social/Cyber Bullying: Deliberately excluding, alienating, ignoring, spreading rumors, impersonation, inappropriate photographs, video shaming, and hacking social media accounts.
• Harassment: Harassment includes bullying and all of the actions listed above, as well as subjecting someone to unwanted sexual advances, involving physical contact or explicit written or verbal language.
• Hazing: An initiation, ritual process involving different types of harassments that intentionally humiliates the individual or a group.
If a player is being bullied it must be reported to a team manager, coach, player agent, league commissioner, president or other league official immediately.
If an individual associated with the league including, managers, coaches, parents, players, volunteers and spectators, have participated in bullying a warning will be given to the individual.
The league President, at his discretion and in consultation with a designated committee, may issue league suspensions, expulsions, or involve law enforcement.