Saint Elizabeth Athletic Ministry

Saint Elizabeth Athletic Ministry

Grievance Process

INTRODUCTION

Mission Statement:

Athletic Ministry, a branch of St. Elizabeth Youth Ministry Program, is the partnering of parents, coaches, priest’s and young adults to manage and support an athletic program that emphasizes healthy competition, sportsmanship and responsibility to the community while giving witness to their catholic faith.

While the Athletic Ministry Board strives to ensure that their Mission and day to day actions adhere to established guidelines, disputes and disagreements may arise that require settlement. The purpose of this document is to establish the formal Grievance Procedure that the Athletic Ministry, a branch of St. Elizabeth Youth Ministry Program, will adhere to in an attempt to resolve such disputes or disagreements .

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

Procedural steps. There are four steps in this Grievance procedure

1.Direct negotiated settlement between the two parties and Grievance Administrator

2.Grievance Board Hearing

3.Appeal to the The Youth Ministry Coordinator

4.Final appeal to St. Elizabeth’s Pastor

Definitions

Grievance - Any dispute about the meaning, interpretation, or application of any language or actions by the representatives of, or participants in, St. Elizabeth’s Athletic Ministry programs

Grievant- The person or persons who initiate the Grievance

Respondent - Person or persons whose actions the Grievant alleges are contrary to the St. Elizabeth’s Athletic Ministry mission, By-laws, guidelines, or code of conduct

Day - A calendar day inclusive of all weekends and Holidays

Grievance Administrator - Individual appointed by the Athletic ministry who serves at the pleasure of the Athletic Ministry.

Grievance Board - A group of three individuals appointed by the Athletic Ministry who serve at the pleasure of the Athletic Ministry

Time Limits

The Grievant must complete step 1 within 30 days of any event giving rise to the Grievant or 30 days from the grievant becoming aware of the grievable event, whichever is later. The Grievant Administrator shall be the sole source of determining compliance with the time limit.

The Grievant may not request retroactive remedy extending prior to the date of the grievable event

If the Grievant is not resolved in step 1, the Grievant Administrator shall file a step 2 Grievant within 7 days of the completion of step 1 Grievant. If the Grievant or Respondent is not satisfied with the ruling issued by the Grievance Board in Step 2 , the Grievant or Respondent must file a Step 3 Grievance within 3 days of the completion of Step 2 grievance. If the grievance is not resolved in Step 3, the Grievant must file a Step 4 Grievance within 3 days of the completion of the Step 3 Grievance. The Grievance Administrator shall be the sole source of determining compliance with time limit.

Grievance Limitation - No person or group shall be permitted to file more than two Grievances within a one year period.

Duties of the Grievance Administrator

The Grievance Administrator shall serve as the technical resource to the Grievant, Respondent, Grievance Board, Youth Ministry Coordinator, and Pastor. The Grievance Administrator’s role shall be to give advise and counsel regarding the procedure and to facilitate the orderly flow of all paperwork associated with the Grievance. The Grievance Administrator may serve as a member of the Grievance Board, but shall not serve as the Youth Ministry Coordinator

The Grievance Administrator shall maintain Grievance forms for the filing of all grievances. All Grievances regardless of Grievance Step must be filed using the required forms. The forms shall be available at the St. Elizabeth’s Parish Office upon request of any person or group who wishes to file a Grievance. The forms and supporting documentation shall be sent (mail, fax, or e-mail) to any person or group upon receipt of a written or oral request to do so.

The Grievance Administrator shall maintain a current list of Grievance Board members. The Grievance Administrator has the power to request a full Athletic Ministry review to remove any person or persons from the Grievance Board if the Administrator feels said person or persons fail to comply with the requirements of this procedure or guidelines established by the Athletic Ministry.

The Grievance Administrator shall fulfill the responsibilities placed upon them at each step of the Grievance Procedure and any failure to do so will extend any deadlines missed as a result of such failure.

Right to a representative - Each party involved in a grievance shall have the right to designate any person to act as a representative. Such designation must be made in writing and may be submitted at any time prior to entering Step 2 of the Grievance procedure. The notice must include the name, address, and telephone number of the designated representative. It shall be the responsibility of the Grievance Administrator to notify all parties involved in the Grievance procedure of the designated representatives aforementioned contact information.

Location of Grievance meetings/hearings/appeals - All meetings, hearings, and appeals held according to this Grievance procedure shall be held at a time and place mutually agreeable to the parties involved in the procedure. If no agreement can be reached, the Grievance Administrator shall set the time and place of the meeting, hearing, or appeal .If a party cannot attend a meeting, hearing, or appeal in person for any reason, they may request to attend the meeting, hearing, or appeal via telephone. Any request to attend via telephone must be submitted at least 48 hours prior to the date and time of the scheduled meeting, hearing, or appeal to the Grievance Administrator.

Duty to Cooperate - All parties must follow this Grievance Procedure and must comply with all rules and rulings made in accordance with this procedure. Failure of the Grievant to cooperate shall result in a finding for the Respondent. Failure of the Respondent to cooperate shall result in a finding for the Grievant.

Notices - All notices of meetings, hearings, or appeals shall be made in writing and shall be delivered via U.S. Mail or e-mail. For the purposes of compliance with time limits under this procedure, e-mail shall be the desired method of written communication. If U.S. Mail must be utilized, the date of cancellation postmark by the U.S. Postal Service shall be utilized as the date the notice was sent.

REQUIRED INFORMATION

Name, Address, Phone Number and E-mail Address (if one is available) of the Grievant.

Name, Address, Phone Number and E-mail Address of the Respondent. (Grievant may not know address, phone number, or e-mail address of Respondent. Must supply name at a minimum)

The nature of the Grievance and the relative facts pertaining to any events or circumstances in the Grievance (including the date of the event giving rise to the grievance and, if that event is more than 30 days before the filing of the Step 1 Grievance, a statement of when the Grievant first learned of the event and why they were not able to file the Grievance within the allotted time)

The language of any By-laws, Guidelines, Code of Conduct, or policies to which there is a dispute over the meaning, interpretation, intent, or effect.

A statement of any actions taken by the Grievant to resolve the problem prior to filing Step 1 Grievance

The Grievants requested remedy to resolve the Grievance

GRIEVANCE STEP 1 - Direct negotiated settlement between the two parties and Grievance Administrator

The Grievance administrator shall first attempt to resolve the Grievance at the lowest possible level by attempting to discuss the event giving rise to the Grievance with both the Grievant and Respondent. It will be the sole judgment of the Grievance Administrator as to whether to meet with both parties together, or to act as a mediator by working with the parties individually. If a resolution of the Grievance cannot be reached within 30 days of the filing of a Step 1 Grievance, then the Grievant and Respondent must proceed to Step 2. After initial contact with both parties, the Grievance Administrator shall have the power to determine that an amicable resolution cannot be reached directly between the parties, and shall order an immediate filing for Grievance Step 2 is in order.

GRIEVANCE STEP 2 - Grievance Board Hearing

If the grievance is not resolved in Grievance Step 1 within 30 days of the original filing date of the Grievance, or the Grievance Administrator has moved the procedure to Step 2 at his/her discretion, Grievance Step 2 shall be invoked. The Grievance Administrator will provide the Grievance Board with all applicable information documented from the initial filing of the Grievance, as well as the results of Grievance Step 1. The Grievance Board shall meet with the Grievant and Respondent. The Grievance Board shall render a ruling within 7 Days of the hearing. The ruling shall be made by simple majority vote of the Grievance Board. The Grievance Board shall notify the Grievance Administrator in writing of their ruling within 3 days. The Grievance Administrator will notify the Grievant and Respondent of the Grievance Boards ruling. Upon notification, the Grievant or Respondent has 3 Days to file a Step 3 Grievance. If after 3 days no filings are received for a Step 3 Grievance, the Grievance Boards ruling shall be final and the Grievance will be officially considered as resolved.

GRIEVANCE STEP 3 - Appeal to the Youth Ministry Coordinator

If the grievance is not resolved in Grievance Step 2, Grievance Step 3 shall be invoked. The Grievance Administrator will provide the Youth Ministry Coordinator with all applicable information documented from the initial filing of the grievance as well as the results of Grievance Steps 1 and 2. The Youth Ministry Coordinator shall review the information provided. The Youth Ministry Coordinator shall render a ruling within 7 Days of written notification by the Grievance Administrator .It is not mandatory for the Youth Ministry Coordinator to meet with, or contact the Grievant and/or Respondent directly to render a ruling. The Youth Ministry Coordinator shall notify the Grievance Administrator in writing of their ruling within 3 days. The Grievance Administrator will notify the Grievant and Respondent of the The Youth Ministry Coordinator ruling. Upon written notification, the Grievant or Respondent has 3 Days to file a Step 4 Grievance. If after 3 days no filings are received for a Step 4 Grievance, The Youth Ministry Coordinator ruling shall be final and the Grievance will be officially considered as resolved.

GRIEVANCE STEP 4 - Final appeal to St. Elizabeth’s Pastor

If the grievance is not resolved in Grievance Step 3, Grievance Step 4 shall be invoked. The Grievance Administrator will provide St. Elizabeth’s Pastor with all applicable information documented from the initial filing of the grievance as well as the results of Grievance Steps 1, 2 and 3. It is not mandatory for the Pastor to meet with, or contact the Grievant and/or Respondent directly to render a ruling. The Pastor shall render a ruling within 7 Days of written notification from the Grievance Administrator. The Pastor shall notify the Grievance Administrator in writing of their ruling within 3 days. The Grievance Administrator will notify the Grievant and Respondent of the The pastor’s ruling. The Pastor’s ruling shall be final and the Grievance will be officially considered as resolved.