AVOID CRISIS SITUATIONS AND LITIGATION:  CROWD CONTROL, RISK MANAGEMENT, EVENT MANAGEMENT

 

            The MSHSAA Board of Directors is focusing upon an increased need in our schools for game management, supervision, risk management and emergency/crisis plans.  This is an area becoming more complicated as we speak.  We can no longer do things the “old” way or assume everyone knows their role, their responsibilities or all the rules. We, as school administrators cannot get by with planning out of our “hip pocket.”

            Times are changing.  Students, parents and fans are changing.  Courts are making us more accountable for safety and instruction.  Our sports culture is changing and respect and fair play is no longer a  natural by-product unless taught, practiced, expected and led by example. 

            I would like to address some areas which may help you in your job as a school administrator/official to provide safe and meaningful activities free from unnecessary risk whether it is safety, compliance with rules, or legal liability issues.

            This three part plan will assist you in managing events at your school.  These three major areas exist for every event at your school up to and including state championships.  These areas are pre-event management, event management and post event management.

            Pre-Event Management:  This perhaps is the most critical area.  This phase is where prevention is the main stay.

            It is imperative a good risk management program is implemented in each school district.  This should include your facility being checked and any needed maintenance occurring as well as any modifications due to rule changes implemented.  It is an ongoing process to review your facility to keep it free from problems. Be certain all equipment is legal.  This requires advance planning due to possible reconditioning, purchase of new equipment and rule compliance.  Develop a checklist for all venues and activities.  This includes locker rooms as well as facilities you may use off school grounds. 

            Have a standard operating procedure for medical coverage at practice and games.  This should be reviewed each year and before each season with the appropriate staff.  Have a standard procedure for dealing with injuries.  This should include proper care, reporting and recording of injuries and any necessary rehabilitation.  A phone should always be available.  When traveling to away events, it may be beneficial to have a cell phone available for use.

            Meet with the coaching staff and be certain they maintain good written records of drills, what is taught and any injuries to athletes.  When providing instructions emphasize to your coaches they must teach the proper techniques, instruct what is improper and warn the athletes regarding the increased chance for injury due to improper techniques.

            Develop emergency plans which include how situations will be handled and by whom.  Be knowledgeable of the exit plans and security to be involved.  Public address announcements for directions should be prepared and other necessary procedures outlined and reviewed.  The following are the most common areas our plans would cover but are not all inclusive.

1. Fire	5. Catistrophic injury
2.   Hazardous weather (i.e. lightning, wind)	6.  Facility problems
3.   Heat and humidity	7.  Crowd disruption
4.   Emergencies in the crowd	8.  Threats

   

Be certain emergency exits, alarms and necessary public address systems are working and locations are known.  Meet with appropriate staff to be certain the plan is communicated to staff and others such as security personnel.  Everyone should know their role.

            Develop a written plan of “who needs to know” so the proper individuals are contacted and the necessary decision makers are aware of situations.  This will be the core group needed to make decisions, provide information on behalf of your school, any necessary medical coverage and address the media.

            Meet with security and develop your needs and check list, location of security, how long security is required and the means of communication.

            Have a public relations plan regarding statements to be released to the media, parents and other fans.  Know who will be involved with these statements and when and how they shall be release.

            Have a defined entry and exit plan for the venue.  Make sure the plans are in writing, with diagrams and communicated to supervisors, ushers and security personnel.

            Address parking arrangements and traffic flow with staff and security.  Identify high traffic times and possible bottlenecks and plan ahead how to address.

 

            Determine what areas of responsibility shall be delegated and to whom.  Make sure your entire management team has good communication with one another.  Areas which will need special attention would be:

1. Ticket takers
2. Ushers and parking attendants
3. Security
4. Media
5. Game officials

            Have a plan developed on how you will deal with delays, postponements and cancellations.  Identify who shall be involved in this decision making process.  For weather delays, it will be necessary to be in contact with the National Weather Service.

            Today it is also necessary to plan for the unexpected crisis such as dealing with a bomb threat, weapons at games, etc.  Work with your local authorities to develop a written plan and communicate this plan with all appropriate staff.

            Another portion of pre-event management is proper education and notification of all MSHSAA regulations and local school policies to students and parents.  The school has the responsibility to be knowledgeable of the regulations and disseminate and review this information with coaches, students, parents and board of education.  Pre-season meetings should be conducted with parents and students with rules, policies, eligibility, conduct and expectations being discussed.  A copy of this information should also be provided in writing.  School handbooks should include this information along with a permission and acknowledgement sheet signed by the parents.  Use your web site to also post this information.  Be certain to have a code of conduct which includes a penalty phase and we suggest due process procedures.

            Coaches should strictly enforce that no student may participate without first having a physical, proof of insurance and parental permission on file with the school. 

            School administrators are responsible to enforce the MSHSAA Constitution and By-Laws.  By not being diligent in this area and keeping all parties informed the school may find students becoming ineligible, face forfeiture of contests and sanctions for school violations.   Studying the regulations, maintaining good, consistent communication and enforcement of these regulations are essential in order to avoid problems and potential litigation.

            Pre-event planning is necessary and should not be overlooked.  If these areas are properly addressed, the event management phase is greatly enhanced.

            Event Management:  For the event management phase you should have a written schedule of workers, their position to work and a description of responsibilities for each position.  Have a specified time for all parties to report to you or the appropriate staff.  Do a run through to be certain all staff is in place.

            Double check all scoreboards, public address systems and any additional equipment to make sure it is working properly. Be certain someone is assigned to meet the officials and escort them to and from their dressing area.

            Tickets and gate start-up money should be issued just prior to the opening of the gate.  Use serial numbered tickets and reconcile after the event.  It is not wise to just collect money with no potential for auditing your ticket sales.  Make arrangements to pick up ticket money and transfer with a second person for security.  Your ticket sellers should have access to radio communication if there is a problem (i.e. rowdy fan, threat or arguments, change money, etc.).

            Key personnel should have a radio to be able to communicate with one another immediately.  This group could include administrators and other supervisors, ticket gate, parking attendant, security, custodian on duty, and other school administration.

            If a concession stand is being operated, arrangements should be made to escort the transfer of money from the concession area to a secure location.  Be certain doors into the concession are area can be locked from inside for security purposes.  A basic first aid kit should be available in the concession areas as well to treat minor injuries.

            Meet with security personnel to review what is expected and any special responsibilities they might have such as the transfer of ticket receipts, escorting officials if the crowd is antagonistic and keeping people off playing area at the conclusion of the game.

            Make certain medical personnel are on site, phones are available and a clear path for any emergency vehicles is always available.

            Know what your school’s expectations are for crowd fan behavior. For interscholastic contests our schools should expect responsible and positive fan behavior.  These expectations and policies should be publicized in advance of your events.  Various means of communication would include student handbook, school newsletter, newspaper, web site, event program and signs as you enter the venue.  This will help communicate expectations to home and visiting fans.  Public address announcements regarding sportsmanship are also very useful.

            As the visiting team arrives along with the supervisor of the school, introduce yourself and let the visiting administrator or designated supervisor know where you are generally located or where h/she can go to contact you.  If anticipating a large crowd and perhaps intense rivalry, you may wish to provide the visiting administrator with a radio as well.

            During the contest it is vital that the crowd is observed for any problems.  Fan behavior is important. If certain cheers or actions begin to develop contrary to what is desired and acceptable you should address immediately.  Antagonistic behavior towards officials should be discouraged.  This is the “spark” that causes many fires in which threats, violent acts and poor school relations come from.  Your cheerleaders can greatly help in this area by utilizing cheers that can get the crowd positively involved.  If a controversial call occurs, the cheerleaders should use a cheer that the crowd likes to direct their attention to the positive.  Working with your cheer coach and cheerleaders in advance of each season and reviewing their responsibilities at events is a good way to improve fan behavior at your games.

            MSHSAA would suggest that during the regular season you follow the same rules that will be followed during post-season play.  This helps your crowd and definitely makes your job easier at the end of the season.  For example, no continuous standing or stomping of bleachers by the fans, no use of fireworks and other conditions listed in the specific MSHSAA sport/activities manual.

            Establish a good rapport with your booster club.  Be certain crowd expectations are reviewed and get them to buy into responsible fan behavior.  The same is true for your students.  Many times schools have a “cheering” group such as “the bleacher bunch”.  Visit with them and welcome their support and school spirit and at the same time establish the ground rules prior to the start of the games.

            As the contest nears an end, make contact with security and parking attendants so they are ready for the crowd.  Have a person ready to escort officials form the playing site to the dressing room.  Be certain to have supervisors in place to keep the crowd off the playing area and directing to exits.  In heated contests, be sure to include the visiting administration to do the same with their crowd.

            Fans should not be able to congregate around the coaches.  Many times this is when parents confront coaches about playing time, etc.  This can cause problems which could be avoided.  Do not allow fans to wait to talk to officials. This is also when most problems occur.

            Your athletic director should develop a good working relationship with the media so they know when and where they can have access to the coach for an interview.  A good relationship with the media is important for your school.  They will appreciate having this information in advance and receiving cooperation for interviews regardless of the outcome of the game.

            Supervision at the end of the game should extend outside of the facility. With good pre-planning your parking and traffic flow should be addressed.  It is wise to check in over the radio to be certain things are moving smoothly.

            Post Event Management:  Following your contest it is always necessary to fine tune the process.  This is especially true at the beginning of the year and each season.  During this phase you should met with the very same individuals you met with during your pre-event phase to see what changes should be made to better organize for the next contest.  If an emergency occurred, how it was handled should be reviewed the next day.  If an incident occurs, the administration should always be notified and given details (i.e. incident on bus, parking lot, fans, etc.). 

            At the end of the three sport seasons a thorough wrap-up evaluation should occur.  Such evaluations would include the various entities involved with conducting your events, and a written document outlining procedures to be changed for future preparation.  There may be areas which need school board attention if dealing with school policies.

            The cycle then begins over again following the close of the school year.

            In closing, it is our responsibility to provide safe opportunities for play and for practice.  It is our responsibility to educate, properly instruct and protect our students participating in the extracurricular programs. There are always problems to address and at times emergencies and even a crisis event.  With good pre-event management, many problems can be eliminated or minimized and emergencies dealt with under control and confidence.  The crisis situations can be avoided or minimized in their damage be that disruption, injury or public perception.

            Good communication will insure the success of the plans you have developed.  This communication includes staff, security, medical personnel, officials, students, fans and visiting schools.

            Good sportsmanship and respect are key ingredients for game day.  Development of clear expectations, communicating these expectations and at times enforcing will all create a wholesome atmosphere for participants, coaches, officials and fans alike.

            Taking time to review for the next event, the next season, and the next year allows us to improve our programs for everyone involved.  Good event management will provide a better playing environment, reduce the risk of legal liability issues, and minimize the impact of emergencies and crisis situations.