Coaches Responsibilities
- Prior to student participation in any try-out and/or practice for a sport/activity a signed consent to participate, acknowledgement of risks, emergency contact and medical information form must be completed by parent/guardian and provided to the coach (consult the Sample Interschool Parent/Guardian Letter and the Sample Interschool Medical Information and Consent to Participate Form).
- The coach must be knowledgeable of students’ medical conditions (for example, anaphylaxis, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma) and must have the students’ Emergency Contact and Medical Information available at all try-outs, practices, and competitions.
- Consult school division and local athletic association rules and regulations (consult safety standards, code of conduct, first aid emergency response, concussion protocol, and transportation policy) and adhere to the higher standard of care.
- All coaches must complete Respect In Sport and provide their RIS certification number and date of completion to the school division or as directed.
- Review the sport safety standards and attend school division/athletic associations coaches’ meetings/workshop clinics.
- The coach must meet coaching qualifications as outlined on the sport/activity page.
- The coach must work with athletes in a professional manner that emphasizes respect, fair play and skill improvement.
- Establish routines, rules of acceptable behaviour and appropriate duties of students at the beginning of the sport season and reinforce throughout the season. Coaches must discipline students for unsafe play or unacceptable behaviour, and must exercise that responsibility at all times. Consult Student Responsibilities for more information on student behaviour.
- The coach must implement the appropriate concussion prevention strategies.
- For all sports, where the coach is not of the same gender as the students and where the students are required to stay overnight, a supervisory adult, as approved by the principal of the school, of the same gender as the students, must be present and available at the for the duration of their stay.
- The coach must keep a document/keep a record of:
- student attendance;
- practice plans, with reference to progressive development of skills, and the inherent risks of the sport and safety techniques;
- emergency contact and medical information forms and keep them easily accessible (consult the Sample Interschool Parent/Guardian Letter and the Sample Interschool Medical and Consent to Participate Form); and
- a concussion recognition tool and keep a copy easily accessible.
- Distribute, collect and file the appropriate forms from any athlete who has required medical attention as per school division/school policy and procedure.
- For non-concussion illness or injury consult the Sample Return to Physical Activity (Non-Concussion Medical Illnesses/Injuries).
- For concussions, refer to your school board’s concussion protocol. For examples consult the Concussion page.
First Aid
- The coach/designate has the following responsibilities at tryouts, practices and competitions on or off school site:
- Ensuring there is an individual who meets the first aid requirements as outlined on the sport activity page and who takes responsibility to provide first aid as necessary.
- Implementing corrective measures to help prevent the reoccurrence of an injury.
- Attending to the first aid needs of their own students.
- Identifying students with medical condition(s) (for example, asthma, diabetes), managing those medical conditions, and providing for emergency first aid as needed.
- Having access to a copy of the student’s Emergency Contact/Medical Information, Acknowledgment of Risks and Permission to Participate Form.
- Being knowledgeable of the site’s Emergency First Aid Response.
- When non-school facilities have an emergency protocol with a higher standard of care than the school division protocol, the facility protocol must be followed.
- Following the school/school division’s Concussion Protocol.
- Checking that first aid kits are available and accessible.
- Checking there is a suitable means of communication on site (for example, phone).
- Checking there are procedures in place for calling 911.
- Implementing universal precautions when dealing with blood or bodily fluids (for example, first aid gloves).
- Completing the school/school board required student injury/accident reports.
- For the purposes of providing first aid when hosting a competition, the coach/designate or convenor of a tournament must:
- have knowledge of the site’s First Aid Emergency Response;
- check that first aid kits are available;
- check there is a suitable means of communication on site (for example, phone);
- check there are procedures in place for calling 911;
- ensure an individual who takes responsibility for providing first aid is present throughout the entire competition.
