Valley Youth Conference Track & Field is following the lead of other youth-based organizations in implementing a criminal background screening program on youth coaches and volunteers. In August 2009, the insurance provider of Valley Youth Conference Track & Field informed the conference that we will be required to conduct criminal background screenings on youth coaches and volunteers for the year of 2010. In January 2010, criminal background screening became mandatory for all youth coaches and volunteers who are members of Valley Youth Conference Track & Field.

VYCTF will maintain a background screening program for the purpose of determining eligibility for coaches and volunteers in the Valley Youth Conference Track & Field. Background screening has been implemented by VYCTF to promote a safe, nurturing and supportive athletic environment in which youth athletes can pursue their athletic goals. Moreover, to prevent the sport of track & field from becoming a hostile environment for those who would seek to harm youth athletes. Please note that the screening is not intended to serve as a pre-employment background screening program.

The program is designed to:

1) TC logiQ process is designed to protect the confidentiality of information and the privacy of Valley Youth Conference Track & Field members.

2) Review members and prospective members screening on the criteria established by Valley Youth Conference Track & Field.

3) Provide those members who have been screened with an opportunity to challenge incorrect information found in the screening process before a result is forwarded to Valley Youth Conference Track & Field.

4) Any results that fail to meet VYCTF background screening criteria and any action in those instances where the screening results produce disqualifiers to membership will be forward to Valley Youth Conference Track & Field General Counsel or representative for additional investigation and to be given a final decision. Any negative results will not be disclosed to anyone outside of the screening administrative process.

5) The background screening performed on the members is based on the members’ name, date of birth, address history and social security number.

The total cost for the background screen is $16. This $16 fee will be paid to TC logiQ by the VYCTF member at the time that he/she goes online to initiate a background screen. TC logiQ will accept payment through the popular online payment service Authorized.Net. Master, Visa, Discover, and American Express are accepted.

1) All Valley Youth Conference Track & Field coach members, prospective youth coach members and volunteers.

The screening criteria that will be utilized to evaluate background screens are as follows:

1. any crimes against children

2. any sexual offenses

3. drug convictions (within 5 years)

4. weapons violations

5. assaults, battery or any other crime of violence

6. lewd conduct

Valley Youth Conference Track & Field members who are subject to screening will be required to be screened on an annual basis.

After conducting an extended search, VYCTF selected TC logiQ, Inc. as its background screening provider. TC logiQ is a specialty consulting firm that provides professional employment services in the area of pre-employment and volunteer screening. More information about this Colorado Springs Company is available on their website at www.tclogiq.com.

1) An individual subject to screening must go online to VYCTF website to initiate and pay for a VYCTF Background Screen. Please note that you must use Internet Explorer (version 6.0 or higher) when initiating your background screening. There will be a link that the members click on and this link will take the Applicant to a greeting page that outlines a few instructions for the Applicant before he/she begin the process. Next, the Applicant will click on the “Click Here To Begin Background Screening Process” link. Upon clicking on the link, the Applicant will be directed to the next page where he/she will be asked if he/she is a renewing applicant or requesting his/her screening for the first time as a new applicant. Please select new applicant. Then, you will be directed to create a username and password with three question and answers associated with you log-in information. This is the first step out of five steps (hereinafter the steps will be referred to as “Screen”).

2) Screen 1 - The Applicant will create a username and password, and input his/her email address. After the Applicant clicks on the save and continue button an email will be generated to the Applicant and the email will include his/her username and password in case the Applicant is unable to complete the screening application for some reason. Then, he/she can log back-in and return to the screen where he/she left-off.

3) Screen 2 - On the second screen the Applicant will be directed to VYCTF Screening Application. The Applicant will be asked to provide the following information:

4) Screen 3 - On the third screen, the Applicant will be asked to verify the accuracy of the information that he/she inputted on the previous screen shot. If the information was inputted incorrectly, then, the Applicant can edit this information by clicking on the “make change button” located at the bottom on the screen.

5) Screen 4 - On this screen, the Applicant will enter his/her payment information. After the Applicant submits his/her credit card information, the Applicant is asked to verify the information before proceeding to the next page. TC logiQ uses Authorize.net as a third-party vendor to transfer electronic payments securely.

6) Screen 5 - On the fifth screen, the Applicant will be asked to execute the credit card payment and initiate the background screening search by clicking the button below the page. This page will also display the Applicant credit card information along with his/her personal information. There are instructions listed on this page describing the timeline for the background screening process. After the Applicant clicks on the button to execute his/her payment and initiate the background screening he/she will be directed to a thank you page.

If a member is uncomfortable with submitting their credit card information over the internet there is a manual screening process that has been established for this purpose. However, there will be an additional cost involved with this manual screening process. Please see the attached document for more information.

In the event that a background screening returns information that the member believes is not accurate, he or she will have the opportunity to dispute that information with “TC logiQ.” To protect the member confidentiality and allow due process, this opportunity will precede any communication of information to Valley Youth Conference Track & Field. In addition, there will be a hearing process available before a national review panel should the member choose to challenge a negative finding on his/her membership eligibility.

This program places the responsibility for information management and retention on the screening provider, TC logiQ. Except in those few instances where a member’s background screen returns information that makes him or her ineligible for membership and he/she then chooses to appeal the membership decision, Valley Youth Conference Track & Field will not be privy to or store the information returned in a members’ background screen.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation in the VYCTF Background Screening Program. Please remember that you must complete the screening process prior to any track meet. To facilitate the process and allow enough time, we strongly advise you to initiate the screening as soon as possible.

Please direct any questions that you might have about the program to Gerald Hood. Best wishes for a very successful 2010-2011 track & field year!